Wonderland of My Own Making
by Goldberry
Summary: Eleven years after The World was quarantined, Kite and BlackRose are living the lives of normal, everyday people, no longer heroes, until they receive an urgent email from Yasuhiko that begins a whole new dangerous adventure. Akira, they want us back.
1. A Return To Yesterday

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Author's Notes: This one has been in the back of my head forever so I'm making an attempt to write it. The story is set eleven years after the end of Quaratine and Kite is roughly 25 years old and BlackRose around 27. Lots of drama, fluff, and adventure, and please keep an open mind as I will be taking liberties with certain characters considering they are now much older. Could be considered an alternate universe although I'm going to incorporate canon as much as I can. It might also take some time for me to finish it, since I'm taking horrid summer school. Kite/BlackRose coming at ya so be prepared!

Enjoy.

Wonderland of My Own Making

She really hated cleaning. The dust would rise up in great puffs of smoky clouds causing her eyes to water and sneezes to rock her forward on her toes. There was always the occasional spider, too, lurking in an old cardboard box or just waiting to dangle down from the ceiling and scare her to death. That was part of the reason she always kept a fly swatter handy, just in case any of the sneaky things decided to pay her visit. Of course, if Kenji had been home, she would have just told _him_ to clean the closet and squish all the spiders, but since he was not and her nesting instincts wouldn't let her rest until the closet was spotless, Akira found herself on her knees in front of the wardrobe in their spare room, glaring at the darkened and cobwebbed corners.

The closet was mostly empty except for some boxes they had never unpacked after their move into the house. A couple had been labeled with the mysterious "etc" in bold black ink, and one had "old stuff" scribbled on the side in what she knew was her own handwriting. Why hadn't she thought to label them more carefully? Now she would have to look through them all just to see if there was anything worth keeping and who knew how many spiders she would find.

Growling under her breath, she leaned forward slightly, very conscious of the fact that her center of balance had changed, and pulled one of the higher boxes down, making sure it wasn't too big for her. The doctor had admonished her not to lift anything heavy and as that was a rule she would most gladly follow, she had milked that excuse from the very beginning, smiling sweetly at her husband as she asked him to pick up the spoon she had dropped on the floor at breakfast.

Akira grinned fondly in remembrance. True, this being pregnant business was not the easiest thing in the world, but Kenji had been great about it, taking her mood swings in stride, his patience like a deep well that never ran out when she had a craving for lobster at three o'clock in the morning. She knew he was excited about having the baby, and she was too, if perhaps a great deal more nervous about it then he was. After all, it wasn't _he_ who would have to deliver something very much like an eight pound ham in the midst of much screaming and painful contractions, which was probably why he jumped at the chance to help her with small things.

"Coward," she muttered affectionately, thinking of her husband. Kenji was brave in a great many situations, but after the first childbirth video he had turned as white as a sheet and suddenly remembered he had papers to grade. She hadn't been far behind either but, as she didn't have much choice in the matter, she had forced herself to watch the whole thing, making mental notes to tell Kenji that if he wanted any more children _he _could carry the next one.

Realizing she was just putting off the inevitable, she cut the boxing tape with a knife and peeled back the cardboard folds, blinking as she took in the scattered contents inside the box. The side of the box had been marked as "office" and she figured it would be full of stuff that Kenji hadn't needed either at his school, or in his private study. Instead, a tower of old PC games greeted her, a bundle of used floppy disks, a dusty broken monitor, a keyboard missing a few letters, and—

— a broken in set of neuro-goggles.

Memories hit her suddenly and she reached over the rim of the box to take out the headset, her fingers brushing away stray particles of dust. She had never seen Kenji's old computer stuff. He must have packed the box himself before they left Japan because she hadn't even known he had kept any of it. Those times before, it wasn't something they really talked about. Mostly because by the time they had gotten the courage to meet face to face for the first time, their characters had long since been deleted.

"Kite," she whispered out loud, tilting her head as she realized she no longer associated that name with her husband. Indeed, it had been years since she had even thought it. Of course, _that game_ had been a major part of their lives, the driving force behind their real life encounter, but as all kids do, they had grown up and gotten jobs and gotten _married_. By that time neither of them had had a spare moment for computers except to type papers and send emails.

She wondered suddenly why they never reminisced about their time spent in The World. It wasn't a taboo subject exactly, it's just that neither of them spoke of it, whether by mutual agreement or unconscious action. She and Kite had saved The World and then they had left it for the adventures of real life, relinquishing it to the whim of the users.

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…salvation or destruction at the whim of the user…

Akira shook her head and set the goggles on the floor. That had all been a long time ago and she had changed and so had Kenji. A sharp kick to her spleen emphasized the point and she laid a hand over the rounded bulge of her stomach with a smile. Six months old and already a fighter.

"Well," she said to herself, rolling up her sleeves, "Let's do this."

Hours later, Kenji Takamoto opened the door to his house with a sigh of relief, his head echoing with the chattering voices of his students. Dumping a pile of papers on the kitchen table, he threw his keys on the tabletop and reached up to loosen his tie, exhaling tiredly. The end of the semester was always a whirlwind and with the baby coming he had not been as prepared for it has as he usually was. Paperwork was piling up and the article he was trying to get published still needed another revision, not to mention he would be expected to attend graduation in two weeks.

Resisting the urge to simply collapse in exhaustion, he grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and looked around at the suspiciously quiet house.

"Kira?" he called doubtfully, moving towards the living room. The television was off and the room was surprisingly neat. Usually, Akira had no qualms about leaving juice glasses scattered about, or clothes and magazines for that matter, but lately she had had the urge to clean everything in sight, going so far as to snap at him for forgetting to leave his shoes at the door last night. He smiled slightly to himself. He really was become more Americanized every day.

"Akira?"

He started for their bedroom, feeling a slight sense of anxiety when she didn't answer him right away. He knew ever since they had learned that she was pregnant that he had been seriously overprotective and smothering, but he couldn't help himself. He was going to be a father. A _father_. The thought unnerved him as well as excited him, but it made him worry about her ten times more than normal. Under regular circumstances, Akira was more than capable of taking care of herself, but now it was her _and their son_. Somehow, that small distinction made all the difference.

A flash of worry crossed his face at the continued silence. "Akir— "

"I'm here."

His wife appeared from their small guestroom, dust bunnies in her hair, a hand reaching out to balance herself against the doorway. She smiled at the relief on his face.

"Just clearing out the closet." She sneezed abruptly and he went to her side. "Good day at work?"

"Yeah," he said absently, one hand resting on her extended abdomen. "You weren't lifting anything were you?"

She swatted his arm. "No, I left all that for you," she said sweetly and he laughed.

"How has he been?"

She made a face. "Rowdy. He's quieted down now that you're here."

"Ah."

"Your mother called."

He blinked. "Really?"

Akira nodded. "She wanted to know how the baby was."

Something must have been showing in his face because she reached up to touch his cheek lightly, her dark eyes glinting with understanding. His mother had not been very happy with their decision to move to America in order for Kenji to get a high paying job at a top university and even less enthusiastic when she learned his wife would be having their baby at an American hospital. He didn't really understand what she was so upset about, although he had a vague idea that she might think having a baby meant he would never come back to Japan. That was a decision that was far in the future, and though it was demanding, he loved his job and Akira had finally settled into their close neighborhood, making friends easily with her jubilant, and sometimes forceful, nature. Japan would always be his home but for now, his place was with his wife and son.

It still hurt though, that she had called when she knew he wouldn't be home.

"Are you worrying again?" Akira tilted her head, one eyebrow arched in that intimidating way of hers. "Because if you are, I've got plenty of manual labor to take your mind off it."

His lips twitched. "Spiders?"

She sniffed disdainfully and he laughed and pressed a kissed into her forehead. If nothing else, Akira was always Akira, and somehow she always managed to make him forget his troubles.

At least for a little while.

Until he received the email.

It was hours later, as Akira lay resting in their bed, that he thought to check their joint email account. He rarely had time for the computer and Akira was usually the one who kept up correspondence with their friends and family, but with the chaos in their lives recently he was pretty sure the emails had been piling up for days.

Settling himself down at the desk in his small study, he double clicked the email icon and waited for the screen to appear, his eyebrows arching at the "You have 55 new messages" sign waiting for him. With a sigh, he scrolled through 50 spam emails, some of them causing a blush to rise in his cheeks, before getting to two emails from his mother, both of them forwards of open teaching positions at the local university where she lived. He left them untouched and moved on to a letter from Akira's parents and another from her brother, Kazu, both of them recounting how well the family was doing and how much they missed him and Akira.

Kenji smiled as he saved those emails for later, Akira would want to see them, before his eyes fell on the sender of the last email and his cobalt eyes widened in surprise.

From: **Yasuhiko**

Subject: **The World**

A shiver of dread worked it's way up Kenji's spine and he sat forward, suddenly apprehensive. He hadn't talked to Yasuhiko since he had left Japan almost two years ago, waving goodbye to his high school friend from an airplane platform. He wasn't quite sure why they hadn't kept more in touch, he supposed life had just taken them in different directions, but it was the subject of Yasu's email that disturbed him more than the sender.

He had not thought about the online game, The World, in a long time. Though he hesitated to use the word, it had been a phase of his life that had passed as all phases do. It had been a defining event in his life, of course, and he still had dreams of it sometimes, but he had long ago laid Kite to rest, the well deserved sleep of a hero.

But now, with this email…

Determined, Kenji clicked on the subject line and began reading immediately, his heart rate rising as he did so. When he had finished, he printed out a hard copy, his fingers tightening on the paper as he pulled it from the printer and headed into the bedroom, stopping in the doorway to catch his wife's attention.

Akira looked up from the book of baby names she had been leafing through, pushing a long strand of dark hair from her eyes as she frowned at his solemn expression.

"What?"

He took a deep breath and raised the email.

"They want us back."

****

To Be Continued…


	2. A Makeshift Event

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Author's Notes: Yeah, so, I have no idea where this is going. Isn't it wonderful? Also, to address Jonathan's concern over BlackRose's pregnant state, she will be participating in The World but not in any situation that is too stressful. However, the fact that she is pregnant is vitally important. whistles innocently And, to all those of you who are underage, I'm nervously debating putting in an "adultish" scene. It's not a lemon (love scene), I've only written two of those in my life and I blushed the entire way through and then passed out afterwards after vowing 'never again'. But the scene would _reference adult situations. If I decide to keep it in, it will have a suitable warning of course. This is just to let you know of the possibility._

FYI: During real life scenes, I'll be using the characters real names, Kenji and Akira. While in The World, I'll usually refer to them as Kite and BlackRose.

Whew! Enough of that. On to the ficcage.

Wonderland of My Own Making

Chapter Two

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Kenji,

Sorry to contact you like this. I know it's sudden but we're running out of options. There's something going on and there's no one else or I wouldn't be writing you. A friend of yours "acquired" your email address and so I'm sending this on the behalf of everyone, not just myself.

I can't say anymore here but please, if you can, come to The World, to the place you first met Orca online. I'll explain everything to you then and the choice will be yours.

Your characters will be waiting for you.

Be careful, it's no longer just a game.

Yasuhiko

Kenji watched intently as his wife's dark eyes roamed the letter, chewing at her bottom lip as she read between the lines. Outside their windows, night had fallen, encompassing their bedroom in quickening shadows. The house was quiet except for the hissing of a few candles that Akira had lit earlier, their flames sputtering in the hot wax. Kenji though saw nothing but his wife's face and when she finally looked up, he could see the wheels of her mind turning swiftly.

"He wants you to go to Mac Anu."

It was not what he had thought she would say, but he nodded, shifting his weight on the bed beside her, toes curling into the carpet anxiously. He felt fourteen again and suddenly all their memories of the past seemed not so long ago.

"It looks like there's something going on in The World, something big and he thinks I can do something about it."

"We," Akira corrected and he blinked, thrown off his stride.

"What?"

"It says 'your _characters_', plural. He wants both of us."

Kenji decided to debate that point latter, when he was sure he could win. "The question is, how did he find us? After we moved here, I lost contact with him."

"This friend of yours that he speaks of, maybe he had something to do with it. He "acquired" our email address." She paused. "What does Yasuhiko mean by that?"

"I think he means a hacker," Kenji said thoughtfully, "Maybe Helba?"

Akira's expression cleared. "I'll bet you're right. Wow, do you think she's still playing in The World?" She snorted at the notion and Kenji's mouth twitched before he managed to redirect his thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"Well, if Yasuhiko is, it's not too impossible to believe that some of our other friends are too. After all, the game has been updated several times and it's still a big phenomenon. It's gets more advanced every year." He trailed off when he saw that Akira was staring at him, surprised.

"What?"

"You actually want to do this, don't you," she said quietly. "You want to go."

Unsure of what answer she was looking for, he chose the diplomatic path. "I… I don't know."

For a moment neither of them said anything, all their times spent in The World flashing before their eyes, memories conforming into tangible things that crowded around them, clamoring for remembrance. Then Akira leaned into his shoulder, locks of her dark hair brushing against his cheek, and he knew that that moment was _real_, and not the faded illusion of time spent within an artificial landscape. He would trade all of his time spent in The World if it meant he got to keep having real moments with the woman next to him.

But no matter how true that thought was, Kenji was not a selfish person, and the idea that others might be in trouble weighed on him.

"I thought we left all this behind," she said softly, threading her fingers through his. He squeezed her palm.

"I did, too."

"You were The World's hero, the Bearer of the Bracelet, and I can see why they would call on you again, but you're no longer the Kite that existed back then, and I'm no longer the BlackRose The World remembers. We've got other priorities." She lifted his hand and placed it on her belly, her eyes catching his. "I know you're thinking it's your responsibility but it's not. Even if you go back, you won't have the Bracelet. You'll have no more power than anyone else." A flash of annoyance, or maybe disbelief crossed her face. "It's only a game, Kenji, surely they can do without you."

His look to her was one of compassion. "You know it wasn't a game back then, and it seems that it's more than that now as well, if what Yasuhiko is saying is true. _It's no longer just a game_." He exhaled slowly, his eyes focused on some distant point. "But you're right, there's too much going on right now, and I'm sure there are others that can protect the users in The World. It seems strange he would even ask me, after all this time."

"Besides, he didn't give you any details. We're not even sure what the situation is. It could be anything."

Kenji nodded. "You're right."

Akira sighed dramatically and stood up, weaving slightly as she caught her balance. "Well, come on then," she said, heading out of the room. He jumped up and stumbled after her, confused.

"What are we doing?"

"Getting your old stuff out, of course," she said, opening the door to the closet in the guest room and pointing to a box that she had relabeled "old computer stuff." He glanced at her as if she were crazy.

"Didn't we just agree we were going to stay out of it?"

She put her hands on her hips. "_I_ agreed that we would stay out of it, but you on the other hand…" She shook her head. "I know you won't be able to let it go until you've checked it out for yourself, so let's go." She pointed at the box and he stepped in front of her to lift it out, following her as she headed to his study. Once there, he set the box down on the desk and took out his old goggles, staring at them as if he had never seen them before. His wife made an exasperated sound in her throat.

"You're really hopeless, you know that?"

She plucked the goggles out of his hand and hooked them up to his computer. Then, before he realized what she was doing, she opened the bottom drawer of his desk and took out her laptop.

"Wait," he said suddenly, alarmed. "What are you doing?"

Her reply was nonchalant. "Going with you, of course."

"No."

She arched an eyebrow at him dangerously, the movement very reminiscent of his old partner, BlackRose. "No?"

A lot had changed, however, and he was not so easily intimidated by her as he had been when they were kids. Still, she could be _scary_ when she was angry.

"No," he repeated firmly. "Like you said, we don't know what's going on there. If it's not safe, the baby…"

"All the more reason for me to go with you," she answered. "If we both go, you'll be too worried about me to do much more than look around. And if it's not safe, I'll logout immediately, as will you." Her eyes narrowed as an idea popped into her head. "And if you don't, you can better believe I'll shut your computer off myself."

He smiled weakly. "Will I ever win an argument against you?" She grinned suddenly.

"While I'm hormonal? Probably not."

He shook his head. "Do you know where your old goggles are?"

"I'll go get them."

By the time she returned, Kenji had brought in another chair and hooked up her laptop next to their personal computer, slightly relieved that this time his partner would be right beside him in both worlds.

Akira seated herself with the heavy grace given to pregnant women and set the goggles on her head as he connected them to her computer. When he was sure she was settled with controller in hand, he followed suit, picking up his own goggles.

"A short trip, Kenji," Akira reminded him as he clicked on the desktop icon. "Whether we find Yasuhiko or not, we're not staying."

"Alright."

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Loading…

Welcome to The World. Login?

Login: **Kite**

Password: ****

Taking a breath, Kenji lifted a finger and pressed "Enter", feeling Akira do the same next to him.

__

Please wait…

Login accepted. Welcome back, Kite.

Exhaling in relief, he bypassed the message boards, heading straight for The World icon. With a double click, he felt a sudden surge within in his goggles and then…

…then he was in.

Standing before the revolving Chaos Gate in the middle of dusky Mac Anu, it was like he had never left. The Root Town looked almost exactly the same, with perhaps some updated architecture, but he could see the familiar underlying structure he had walked past so many times before. He could even hear the quiet lapping of the river as it washed against the docks and rushed under the bridge ahead.

And he was Kite again.

His character remained the same as it had been upon the moment of deletion eleven years ago, even so far as the items in his inventory and his equipped weapons. Lifting a hand, he pulled an aqua lock of hair in front of his face, marveling at it. It was strange, really, being back. He was Kite, but Kite was not him, at least, not the 'him' he had been all those years ago. He had changed, matured, and now that he was back, so must Kite.

"Wow, it worked! I wasn't sure if it would."

He turned, hearing his wife's voice, and felt a bemused smile curve his lips as his longtime partner, BlackRose, twirled away from the Chaos Gate, seemingly delighted with her own appearance. She laughed at seeing his expression.

"Go on and smile, idiot. I'm just glad I can actually see my feet." She came to his side then and he blinked, his brows drawing together.

"What's that?" He reached out to touch a mark just visible above the curve of her armor, directly over her heart. It looked almost like a tattoo, a dark blue color and shaped like a star. "You never had that before."

BlackRose frowned in thought, looking down at the strange marking. "I don't know. Maybe just an error in my data? Something Helba, or whoever this mysterious hacker is, missed?"

__

Or added, Kite thought apprehensively, but didn't share the thought aloud. Instead, he nodded reassuringly. "You're probably right. After all, its been awhile since we've used these characters."

"Speaking of which," she said suddenly, glancing around, "don't you think this place is strange?"

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, why is it so quiet?"

It was only by drawing attention to that specific fact that Kite realized they seemed to be alone, no crowds of people jostling each other at the Recorder, no one standing around the Chaos Gate picking out keywords. As far as he could see, they were the only two there, the heavy silence abruptly weighing on his shoulders. He had been so absorbed in actually being back that he hadn't noticed the place was deserted.

For a moment, he felt a desire to pull his daggers from inventory before dismissing the thought as foolish. After all, they were in a Root Town, they were perfectly safe. No monsters could attack them there and PKing had been outlawed long ago. Perfectly safe.

"Stay close to me," he murmured, faintly surprised when BlackRose obeyed him without comment, moving to stand slightly behind him. Together, they began to walk, the echo of their footsteps on stone ringing loudly in their ears. It was only when they had reached the bridge that they heard the voices.

"Up ahead," his wife said quietly near his ear, "It looks like there's a crowd."

She was right. On the other side of the bridge, in the large courtyard created by a square of buildings, stood a huge throng of people all watching and cheering for something in their midst. Kite couldn't see what they were so enthralled with but the situation looked familiar and he felt his body relax.

"It's alright," he said, relieved, "I think it's an Event."

BlackRose, still peering over his shoulder, seemed unconvinced but she nodded after a moment. "Let's go see what's up."

They continued forward over the bridge, the cries of the crowd tangling shrilly around them, raising the hairs on the nape of Kenji's neck as he sat in front of his monitor. By the time they actually reached the crowd, he was a mass of tense muscles and clenched teeth. Behind him, BlackRose didn't look much better, her expression grim and her lips bloodless.

Her fingers clenched around the fabric of the back of his shirt.

"I thought something was wrong. I've always had good intuition…" She trailed off but Kite didn't need to hear anymore. The sight before him was all too clear.

The crowd wasn't cheering.

They were screaming.

****

To be continued…

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	3. A Moderator's Duty

_Author's Note: So there are many reason why this chapter is late. I can only say that writing my novel has become my priority but I will do my best to finish this. This chapter was a bit rough for me which is why it's not my usual length, but I will do my utmost to get the next chapter out in a timely manner. Thanks for reading. _****

**Wonderland of My Own Making**

Chapter Three

Kite watched the scene unfolding before him with a muted sort of horror, dark eyes wide as his gaze followed the crowd, his head ringing with their chants and cries. His only anchor in that sea of hate was BlackRose's hand fisted in the back of his shirt, her body leaning into his as she looked out over his shoulders. Her breath came quick and fast and he found himself mimicking her, his heart rate rising as he focused on one of players in the center of that teeming mass.

The man was a Long Arm, his wicked looking black spear held out in front of him, the curved end held beneath the neck of a quivering Heavy Axeman who armor jangled as he attempted not to tremble. The Long Arm holding him at bay was dressed entirely in black with chains of silver around his neck and arms. His long dark hair fell to his elbows and his face looked to be carved out of stone, his eyes fearless and void of emotion. His lips curved into an icy smile as he watched the cowering Heavy Axeman and his hand tightened on the haft of his spear.

As if his slight movement had been a signal, the crowd of spectators quieted, leaning forward in anticipation of what was to come. The Long Arm spoke into their silence, his voice deep and uninflected.

"To harm a Moderator is to defy the System itself," he said languidly, taking his time and enjoying it. The crowd roared in agreement. The Axeman's fingers dug into the stones beneath his kneeling feet. "For your crimes against me and the violation of your User Agreement, the punishment is termination of your Player Character and deletion of your game data." His black eyes flicked to the murmuring crowd. "Let this be a warning to others who think to take the System into their own hands. Your fate will be the same at his."

Knowing there was no way out, the Heavy Axeman tilted his head up and looked the Long Arm directly in the eyes, his young face belligerent and full of hatred. "You can't keep silencing us forever. Your tyranny will bring others just like me." He spat at the other man's feet. "The World will not be yours forever. Remember that."

The defeated player's words seemed to ignite the crowd once again and they roared with anger, calling for the man's "death" and ranting about criminals within The World. Kite frowned, his confusion growing with every word he heard. He had thought that the Axeman was at fault but now it seemed that the Long Arm was perhaps the wrong-doer, despite his obvious position of authority. Since when had The World employed Moderators?

The dark Long Arm seemed to pay little heed to the Axeman's words though his eyes glittered as he raised his spear slightly. His words came out like icicles.

"Thank you for playing The World. Have a nice day."

With a growl of anger, BlackRose stepped past Kite, intent on stopping what was about to happen. He reached out and grabbed her arm, knowing it was too late and wincing as the spear fell and the Axeman turned a brittle gray and disintegrated. Erased.

The crowd cheered.

BlackRose swung back to him, angry, but he gave her a quieting look. Without newer weapons and more information, they could do little about what they were witnessing. They weren't even sure what side to take, or if they should even take one. It was clear though that this was the reason Orca had contacted him. Something was happening within The World, something dark.

Kite's hand tightened on his partner's as the multitude of players suddenly dispersed, some of them glancing at the sky as they cried out, backing away from the Long Arm who stood defiantly in their center.

A pearly feather drifted down in front of Kite's face, his eyes trailing its gentle fall to the cobblestone street.

BlackRose made a small sound in her throat and looked up.

A silvery shape darted from the sky, landing in front of the Moderator in a rush of wind and dust, loose feathers heralding the arrival of the winged swordsman of the Azure Sky. Balmung rose from his crouch, pushing silver locks of hair casually away from his face as he locked eyes with the Long Arm, one hand curling around the hilt of a sword he did not draw.

"Ahhh, _Balmung_, here you are." The Long Arm said his name with a sneer. "I was wondering when you would make your next flashy appearance. Come to challenge my sentencing of your little cohort, have you?"

Balmung smiled without showing any teeth. "Of course I have, Brill. A lack of justice always draws my attention."

The Moderator, Brill, gave a harsh, grating laugh. "Lack of justice? Have you forgotten that we Moderators have been charged with keeping the peace? You rebels are the ones making all the trouble." A few watchers murmured their agreement. "Without your _interference_, the System would run perfectly."

"Without us, you would rule a world of your own making." Balmung drew his sword in a flash of light. "I'm afraid I can't allow that."

Brill bent his knees in readiness for the Blademaster's attack, swinging his spear in a circle as he grinned in anticipation. He glanced only once at the crowd and when he did, his onyx eyes caught Kite's and he froze, staring.

Brill _knew_ him.

Fully aware of the danger they were in, Kite stepped backwards pulling a startled BlackRose with him, never looking away from Brill's surprised look. Balmung followed his opponent's gaze and he started, eyes widening.

"Kite."

Kite was moving backwards towards the Chaos Gate, BlackRose at his side, when Brill came through the crowd after them, a purposeful step to his stride. He lifted his spear and pointed it at Kite.

"Stop that player! He's wanted by the System!"

That shout was enough to get Kite running, mentally thanking the inherent nimbleness given to Twin Blades as he pulled BlackRose after him, a wild terror working its way into his heart at the thought of what might happen to her and their child if they were captured. He couldn't let that happen. He _wouldn't_ let it happen.

In a blink of an eye, a dagger twirled between the fingers of his free hand and with only a quick glance to aim, he sent it flying over his shoulder, hearing the weapon embed itself into the wooden planks of the bridge at Brill's feet.

The Long Arm stumbled, narrowly avoiding the steel, and left himself open as Balmung half jumped, half flew at him, the sound of their fight spurring Kite to greater speed. He turned his head towards BlackRose.

"Log out," he commanded and she nodded, ruby eyes wide.

They both skidded to a halt and, without looking back, accessed their menus.

_Log out?_

Click.


	4. A Solitary Sentence

_Author's Note: Alright, so you all owe **Renfro Calhoun** for the lack of an extremely long, ranting author's note. Believe me, he saved your life. _

**Wonderland of My Own Making  
**Chapter Four

The moment the light died in his headset, Kenji tore it off his head, letting it fall carelessly to the floor as he turned to Akira, helping her take off hers, his hands tracing the features of her face worriedly.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, seeming to be a little shaken as she sat her goggles in her lap, her dark eyes wide, one hand instantly covering the mound of her stomach. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and waited as she calmed, one of his own hands covering hers, feeling the baby move beneath them both. His wife took a deep breath.

"What happened?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. It seemed like… It seemed like the Moderator…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a sign of strain, and Akira leaned over and wrapped her arm around his neck, fitting her head into the dip of his neck and shoulder. He relaxed instantly, leaning his head against hers as he struggled to work out his own thoughts. Akira offered her own.

"That guy, the Long Arm, he said something about Balmung being a rebel," Akira said into his shirt, her words vibrating in his chest. "If he's standing up to Moderators then that would put him at odds with the System Administrator, wouldn't it?"

Kenji exhaled noisily. "I think so, but that seems so strange. It took a lot for Balmung to trust me and join sides with us in the beginning. He'd never do anything against the rules."

"Unless the rules are corrupt," Akira commented, and Kenji knew she was right. Had The World changed so drastically since they had played it? Had it become a place where players fought each other in Root Towns and Moderators erased those that stood up to them? "Do you think he's alright?" his wife questioned after a moment of silence. "If Brill has the power to delete unwanted characters…"

He smiled slightly. "He's managed to last this long, I think Balmung will be alright." He squeezed her hand. "We need to email Yasuhiko about this. If we're going to figure this out we'll need to meet with him."

"Promise me," Akira whispered determinedly, "Promise me you won't go without me."

Kenji leaned down to kiss his wife.

"I promise."

It was only later, as he lay almost on the edge of sleep, Akira curled into his arms, that he wondered if he would be able to keep it.

* * *

Akira had always been a bit of a sleuth. She liked untangling secrets and gathering hidden information. It was part of the reason she had gotten herself so involved with Kite back then, besides her brother's coma. She just couldn't help wanting to know _more_, especially when it came to something important to her.

It was a little strange then to find herself thinking about their experience in The World the night before. She had to admit that the game was no longer something that occupied a great deal of her life. She had done her part a long time ago and she had a life now, a good one, full of other priorities that were so much dearer to her. Of course, The World had brought her Kenji, she couldn't deny it, but she most certainly felt no responsibility towards the cyber universe. Her husband did, however, and perhaps that was why the experience was sticking with her. He wanted to do this so she would do her best because that was what who she was.

Besides, she was fairly certain he wouldn't get far without her. He wasn't much for research or playing detective. He left that sort of stuff up to her and she had enjoyed it, once upon a time. Unfortunately, it looked like those skills were going to be need again.

Akira sighed quietly and took a sip of her tea, setting the porcelain cup near her keyboard as she brought up her and Kenji's joint email account. The baby kicked her as she scrolled through their old messages and she hummed to it absently, finding the two emails from her family and opening them. A smile crossed her face as she heard her parents' voices in her head, both of them excited about the baby and offering ideas for names. Kazu's email was more teasing and she hit the "Reply" button with the intention of exerting her sisterly right to make his life miserable.

Then she got a better idea.

Keys clacked as she typed out the email, all the while wondering if her brother would still be interested. He might be if the situation turned out to be dangerous. Ever since his coma, Kazu had become something of a risk taker in his quietly rebellious way. Nothing so grand as jumping out of a plane or anything, but he definitely had acquired a taste for situations that required confidence. And Akira wasn't above calling in a favor. After all, he owed her one.

She hit the "Send" button with a certain satisfaction and then paused, remembering that Kenji had wanted to email Yasuhiko about what they had seen. She was sure he hadn't gotten a chance to before he had left for work that morning and she contemplated sending the email herself. It would probably be best coming from Kenji but if he wanted to meet his friend anytime soon, the email would need to be sent right away considering that they were some fourteen hours behind Japan.

Making a quick decision, she opened a new message.

From: **Akira  
**Subject: **Re: The World**

_Hello Yasuhiko! _

_I'm sure you're surprised that it's me writing you instead of Kenji, but I figured it would be best if we planned to meet sooner rather than later. We logged in to the game last night and I'm sure Balmung has told you that it wasn't exactly a warm homecoming. _

_What the heck is going on?_

_Kenji and I want to meet with you. Let us know when you can. _

_Your friend,  
__Akira_

_PS. Tell Balmung I hope he's in one piece or I'll be sorely disappointed. _

Smiling a little to herself, she sent the email and sat back in her chair wondering how long it would take for Yasuhiko to get back to them. Hopefully not long. The weekend was coming and it would be the perfect time for a little game playing since Kenji would be home.

Moving her mouse up to close the email program, she paused as a new message notification suddenly blinked onto the screen. Frowning, she clicked on it and an unopened email popped into view.

With hesitation, she opened it and immediately paled. The words on the screen made her tremble with mixed anger and fear.

**_I've found you._**

To be continued…


	5. A Lucky Meeting

Author's Notes: My, I'm really churning them out, aren't I? Think of it as a little present to tide you over until I get back from vacation on the 17th. Of course, some of you will not be pleased because of the utterly evil cliffhanger I'm going to leave you tumbling from, but all I can say is MWHAHAHA! Hey, a girl has to have a little fun sometime. If it makes you feel better, I'll bring you back some seashells. Or maybe pictures of them. (dodges tomatoes)

Wonderland of My Own Making  
Chapter Five

Akira sat at the computer rigidly, her eyes tracing the single sentence until she felt her head start to ache with the strain. Rubbing her temple absently, she made no move to close the email or look away from the screen. She wasn't sure ignoring the declaration would do any good anyway. Obviously, someone had been searching for her and Kenji and had discovered them.

I've found you.

She suppressed a shudder and the desire to look over her shoulder and forced herself to think of the matter at hand. The email did not appear to have a sender or subject, it's one line of text her only clue. Despite the lack of information, she was sure it could have only been sent by someone in The World, most likely the Moderator that had tried to catch them, Brill. Akira's gaze darkened. Who did this guy think he was? Harassing them online and off!

The nerve of the man was enough to push her to bring up yet another new message, angry thoughts echoing in her head as she entered the recipient's address.

To: **System Admin  
**Subject: **Harassment By Moderators**

She wrote quickly, fingers flying, and when she was done she sent it without rereading it, sure that her thoughts and feelings had been made perfectly clear. Surely the Administration would put an end to this abuse. After all, that was their job, to ensure the smooth running of The World.

Akira bit her lip. But then again, could she really trust an Admin who let players be deleted for standing up to oppressing Moderators? What was the true purpose of the Moderators anyway? She sighed through her teeth. She really needed to talk to Orca. Only by talking to someone who had been there would she be able to find out what was going on.

She started suddenly and grinned. Why hadn't she thought of it before? Of course there was a way she could find out information without actually logging in to The World!

Excited now, she closed her email program and double clicked on The World icon, bringing up the login screen. Without a second thought she entered her name and password, feeling a flare of determination as she briefly took on the persona of her alter ego, BlackRose. When the title screen had loaded, she went directly to the link for the message boards and clicked on it, admonishing herself for not thinking of this earlier. Perhaps if she went far enough back she would be able to…

Her jaw dropped open.

Stinkin Moderators! [message deleted]  
**Where is the Admin? **[message deleted]  
**Yo, Ruka! Read here!  
Has anyone seen Balmung? **[message deleted]  
**This place sucks! **[message deleted]

And the list went on.

Any thread that looked to cast a negative light on The World or its Moderators had been deleted, as well as those that had to do with anyone that stood up to the Mods. Akira snarled under her breath. Of course the Moderators would regulate the message threads, but erasing anything that made them look bad? It was enough to get her temper going again. At this rate, she would be hard pressed to find anything of importance that hadn't already been deleted.

Irritated, she went for the first message that had somehow survived the carnage and clicked on it, her expression easing as she read.

Subject: **Yo, Ruka! Read here!  
**Author: **Dagger**

Hey, where have you been? Your email doesn't seem to be working. Anyway, we're meeting at Theta Forbidden Treasured Hills_ today. Try to put in an appearance, alright? We Mods have to stick together._

Well, what were the chances? Apparently, there were at least three Moderators: Brill, Ruka, and Dagger. Akira smiled to herself. Perhaps her search hadn't been a waste after all. The message was time stamped as of that morning which meant it was likely the meeting hadn't taken place yet.

She glanced at the clock. It was 1:35pm, Kenji wouldn't be home until around four, giving her plenty of time to get in and get out before he came back. She shook her head abruptly. What was she thinking? He would most definitely be angry at her if she went alone, and making him angry was not something she liked to do. Kenji barely had a temper as it was, but when he got upset he got _passionately_ upset because it was usually for a good reason.

"And I made him promise," she muttered to herself. It wouldn't be fair to ask him not to go without her if she turned around and went in without him. Then again, a chance to spy on three Mods together might never come again. Could she really pass it up? Would Kenji if he were in her place?

She knew the answer to that one and so resigned herself to facing his righteous anger later. Reaching over, she grabbed his headset as she used her free hand to click The World's entrance icon. Slipping the goggles over her head, she set her mouth in a grim line and stepped directly in Mac Anu…

…only to step back in shock.

The Root Town was thriving, characters walking or running everywhere, their voices tangling in a great mass that drifted upwards. Shopkeepers shouted their wares and the sound of rushing water under the bridge filled her ears, taking her back to better times long ago.

BlackRose breathed deeply. Here was how it should have been. A cheerful, bustling hive of players anxious to get out into the field and earn some experience. She even managed to smile as two younger players almost ran her over on their way to the Chaos Gate. She remembered all too well what it felt like to be a newbie.

Reminiscing aside, she reminded herself that she had an errand to do. Weaving her way through the crowds, she hurriedly towards the Weapons dealer, taking a quick look at the swords in stock. The best blade available was something by the name of "Rainbow's Edge" and it stats were not much better than her old Forsaken Light. She smiled crookedly. Maybe The World had not changed as much as she had thought if Level 99 was still the highest one could reach. Or perhaps it was just harder to get there now.

Closing her menu, she turned away from the dealer and headed back towards the Chaos Gate, feeling better now that she knew she was still a strong player. She would be alright on her own and if there was even a hint of danger, she would log out. Despite her slim appearance in the game, she was keenly aware of the baby she carried and she would never do anything that might even remotely cause it harm.

Safety above all else, Akira, she told herself and activated the Gate, switching to the Theta Server.

The bright sunlight of Dun Loireag blinded her for a moment before she blinked and got her bearings, turning immediately to input her keywords.

"BlackRose?"

A tentative, young voice caught her ear and she closed the Gate menu, pivoting slightly to regard the Heavy Blade standing on the boardwalk. He smiled at her, pushing a lock of golden hair from his face unconsciously. He was dressed a little like Sanjuro, with a faintly samurai look about him, a katana belted to his waist. His white shirt was unbuttoned slightly, giving him a rakish appearance, and BlackRose had to smile. He was young, and obviously thought himself good looking, but his expression was kind and her intuition told her he did not mean her harm.

"That's me," she said cheerfully, tilting her head to read the name tag that appeared over his head. "Sasuke, is it? What can I do for you?"

He smiled again and came closer, his quick steps exerting excitement. "I can't believe it's you! I've heard so many stories but I never thought to actually meet you!" He clasped her hand, shaking it energetically. "You caused quite a stir yesterday too. I didn't think you would be back."

She frowned slightly and pulled her hand away, wondering if she had misjudged him. "What do you want?"

He blinked, thrown off guard. "Want?" His grin broke though again. "Just to shake hands with you is enough. My mother told me so much about you and Kite, and how kind you were to her when she left the game. Besides, your practically legendary here."

BlackRose shook her head, confused. "Your mother?"

"Oh yeah, that's right! You never met in real life did you?" His brown eyes sparkled. "She was a Wave Master named Mistral."

She did not know what she had been expecting him to say, but that was certainly not it. Mistral's son? She laughed a little, pleasantly surprised.

"Wow, I can't believe it! You're Mistral's son?" She squinted a little. "How old are you?"

He blushed slightly. "I'm twelve. I know I don't look it and that's what I like about The World. You can be whoever you want to be here," he said jovially.

His words pulled at her heartstrings and she softened her smile, already feeling rather motherly towards the boy. "It's good to meet you, Sasuke, but how did you know I had been in the game yesterday? I don't remember seeing you in Mac Anu."

The happiness on his face died and his expression clouded, his eyes darting around as if looking for someone. "It's not really safe to talk about that here, but I can tell you that both you and your partner are considered outlaws now. I wasn't online yesterday but…" He searched carefully for words, "…the Descendant told us what had happened."

"Us?"

His lips twitched in an almost devilish smile. "The rebels."

A surge of excitement welled within her and the answering smile she gave him was almost as defiant as his.

"Sasuke, there's a place I want to go to. A field where the Mods are…" She trailed off as Sasuke began shaking his head.

"I know. I saw the boards too, but whenever they meet they lock the field." He nodded towards the Chaos Gate. "Go ahead. See for yourself."

Knowing she was about to look stupid, she inputted the keywords again and watched as a flashing warning sign appeared telling her the field was inaccessible. She muttered under her breath. To reach the field they would need the Bracelet, something Kite no longer had since his deletion, which meant they would need to find Aura again. Or wait for her to find them.

Either choice was not optimal.

She closed the Gate menu once more and glanced at Sasuke.

"I think we need to talk."

An hour later, Akira logged out of The World feeling much more determined than when she had gone in. After hearing Sasuke's story it was hard not to. Reaching up to take off the headset, she sighed tiredly, realizing she was hungry as well exhausted. It was probably time to start dinner anyway, she thought, and turned to glance at the clock.

The blood drained from her face as her gaze landed on Kenji sitting quietly a few feet away, watching her with a calm expression that must have cost him quite a bit. His voice, when he spoke, was low and tight with restrained anger.

"What do you think you're doing?"

To be continued…


	6. A Confrontation

Author's Notes: Definitely an interlude chapter, folks. A bit of fluffy randomness to offset the tension. I'd also like to thank everyone who worried about me during my brief stint in the hospital, I really appreciate it.

Enjoy.

Wonderland of My Own Making

Chapter Five

"What do you think you're doing?"

Akira's stomach had dropped into her feet, a very uncomfortable feeling, but she reminded herself that she had chosen this and forced herself to meet her husband's eyes. The dark depths were filled with worry, betrayal, and no small amount of anger. She straightened her spine.

"You're home early."

A muscle moved in his jaw. "I decided to bring some paperwork home with me instead of staying at the office."

She nodded and held his gaze, watching as his anger began to dissipate into worry and anxiety. It was a something she had learned about him at the beginning of her pregnancy. Given enough time, his concern for her and the baby's safety outweighed his wrath every time. It certainly would not get her out of trouble, but it would perhaps lessen the scolding she was about to get.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly after a moment.

"Yes, we're fine," she answered, linking her fingers together and bowing her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Kenji. I know I shouldn't have gone without you, but something came up that I felt I had to look into. If I had waited for you it would have been too late."

Kenji didn't fall for the distraction she offered him. "You made me promise," he reminded her, still calm and quiet.

Akira's eyes glittered, her flash fire temper getting the better of her for a moment. "Only because I knew you would leave me behind if you could," she snapped.

His expression hardened and he stood up, his body stiff and tense. "You can't do this, Akira. I can't leave in the morning wondering if your risking yourself in the game without me." He took a step towards her. "What if something happened to you? To the baby? If I came home and…" He swallowed, deflating. "If something bad were to happen to either of you, I'd…"

She didn't wait for him to finish.

Suddenly on the verge of tears, she stood and went to him, standing on tiptoe to throw her arms around his neck, pressing her face into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done it. I'll never go without you again, I swear."

"Kira," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, holding her close. She could feel him trembling slightly, probably still imagining something horrible happening to her and he, himself, helpless. Smiling somewhat tearfully, she ran her fingers up through his hair and raised her head to be kissed.

"I love you," she murmured when they parted, leaning forward slightly as he pressed a last kiss into her forehead.

"I love you, too." He paused. "But don't ever scare me like that again."

"Never again," she echoed in agreement, meeting his gaze steadily. He smiled, the movement lighting up his face in a way that made him look like a teenager.

"Now, tell me what you found."

* * *

"Mistral's son? Really?"

Akira smiled. "I couldn't believe it either, but it fits time wise. He's a Heavy Blade and his name's Sasuke. Despite the fact we couldn't get into the field, he turned out to be a well of information."

Kenji's eyebrows rose. "What did he tell you?"

"Well, the strangest is that the Moderators will capture us if they find us. Apparently, we're wanted for some reason no one can quite figure out. Because of the way the Mods are running things, some people are suspicious of their motives, or are downright angry about how The World has changed. The majority of these don't bother to do anything about it because it's just too much trouble."

"And the minority?"

"They become rebels." She shook her head slowly, still digesting the notion. "Not surprisingly, Balmung and Orca are leading them. The group itself is not very large. I got the impression from Sasuke that there aren't more than a handful that are really serious about standing up to the Moderators."

"And now there's one less with the loss of that Heavy Axeman," Kenji said solemnly, sitting back in his chair at the kitchen table. He watched for a moment as she stirred the spaghetti sauce and tasted it, adding a bit more salt as an afterthought. "Did he tell you what the Moderators are doing? I mean, besides deleting characters?"

"He didn't say much about them, except that they seem to use The World as their personal playground. I think he was a bit nervous to talk to me, especially since someone could have overheard us." She leaned over the stove to check the pasta.

Kenji gave one of his short laughs. "I'm not surprised he was nervous. After all, you are legendary," he teased.

His wife turned to face him, stabbing a wooden spoon in his direction. "Go ahead and laugh if you want, but I'm sure I'm not the only one with fans. You were far more noticeable than I, what with that orange outfit and all."

He blinked. "You don't like my outfit?"

Akira smiled playfully and then relented at her husband's childishly hurt look. "Well, I did marry you despite that, didn't I? And besides, it really wasn't your fault. The Bracelet was what changed you."

"The Bracelet…" Kenji said, nodding. "We're going to need it again if the Mods keep locking fields."

"Sasuke told me that the hacker working with them managed to regenerate our character data but not the Bracelet's."

"I'm not surprised. I think only Aura has the power to bestow the Bracelet." Kenji glanced at her. "Did you ask him about that strange star-like mark on your chest?"

His wife nodded. "He didn't know anything about it. He said we would need to talk to the hacker to find out what it was. Speaking of which, we need to remember to check our email tonight. Hopefully, Yasuhiko will write back with a meeting time for us." She paused, remembering. "And maybe I'll get a response from the Admin as well."

"I doubt it," Kenji replied quietly. "The Admin is the one who gave the Mods their power. If he had a problem with them, he would have done something before now."

Akira sighed and turned back to the stove only to make a startled noise as all the lights in the house went out, throwing them into darkness. Outside the kitchen window, far away lightning flashed.

"Great," she muttered, reaching over to turn off the gas burners. She heard Kenji rise from the table and head to the hallway closet in search of a flashlight. She called back to him. "Do you think it's just a fuse?"

"Maybe," he answered, his voice echoing oddly in the silent house. He closed the closet door and flipped on the flashlight. "I'll go down and check it out." He looked to her for a moment. "You'll be alright?"

"Since when have I been a scaredy cat?"

Her husband titled his head and smiled slightly. Akira crossed her arms over her chest. "Alright, don't answer that. I'll be fine. I'll light some candles."

He nodded, still smiling, and turned to go down to the basement. She waited until his light disappeared before opening one of the kitchen drawers and taking out a few of the emergency candles. She fumbled around before finding the matches as well, lighting one of them with a sense of relief. She set one of the candles in its holder on the table and lit it along with the one in her hand. Flickering light immediately cast broad shadows along the walls, sending her heart rate up a notch or two. Despite her bravado, she really didn't like the dark.

Outside, thunder rumbled overhead and she jumped, turning towards the window as another sound caught her ear. She moved closer to it, straining to see into the darkness as the first of the raindrops pattered against the glass.

In the yard, a shadow moved.

* * *

Walking down the steps of their small basement, Kenji shone the flashlight around as he descended, letting the beam fall on the fuse box in front of him. They didn't come down there much, a few unpacked boxes and a shelf of canned jellies the only evidence they ever used the place.

Kenji skirted around the boxes and went to the fuse box, pulling open the cover and shining his light on the switches. None of them had been flipped and he frowned, running his fingers over them lightly. If it wasn't a fuse then it must be the storm, something Akira definitely wouldn't want to hear.

He closed the fuse box and turned. He was on the fourth step when he heard his wife shriek in fright.

Stumbling up the rest of the stairs, he gripped his flashlight tightly as he pushed through the basement door and raced to the kitchen, his heart in his throat.

"Akira! What is it? What's wrong?"

She turned from the window quickly, a hand over her mouth. He went to her, gripping her arm, desperately trying to read her expression in the dark.

"There's someone outside the house, in the yard," she managed. "It startled me."

He took his first breath in minutes and let it out slowly. "Are you sure?"

She nodded tightly and dropped her hand so he could squeeze it. In his head, the words from the email she had received echoed. _I've found you. _It could be nothing, he reminded himself, an animal. It might not be related at all, just a coincidence.

But Kenji did not take chances with his wife and unborn son.

"I'll go and have a look. It's probably nothing," he reassured her. She tightened her grip on his hand.

"Are you crazy?" she asked incredulously. "You'll do no such thing! What if it's some sort of deranged ex-convict just waiting for you to step outside so he can murder you?"

He blinked and then gave her a half smile. "Don't you think you might be overreacting?"

She slapped his arm irritably. "Of course I'm overreacting. I'm pregnant, it's what we do, but you're still not going out there." A remnant of fear flashed through her eyes. "You can't."

He looked into her face a moment before nodding. "Alright. I'm just going to go check to make sure the doors and windows are locked. I'll be right back."

"Be careful," she called after him, and he hurried forward, checking the front door first before testing the windows. Lightning flashed sporadically, lighting his way better than the flashlight and he shut it off when he was done, heading back to the kitchen. Surprisingly, Akira wasn't there but he saw the flickering light of her candle in their bedroom.

Putting the flashlight back in the closet, he joined her there, meeting her gaze as she looked up.

"Everything's secure." He sat down on the edge of their bed. "I'm sure the lights will come on again when the storm's over."

Forgoing her usual show of fearlessness, she sat down beside him and curled against his chest, her hands gripping his shirt. He leaned back against the headboard, pulling her with him until they were both comfortable in each other's arms, their legs tangled together.

"I'm sorry," she said softly after a moment. "I know it's silly but after that email…"

She trailed off as he tightened his arms around her. Not that long ago it would have been very hard for her to admit that she was frightened, and she still often wore a brave façade around everyone but him. Not that she wasn't courageous, as going into The World alone had proved, but she had slowly come to realize it was alright to be afraid sometimes.

"I know," he replied, rubbing circles on her back. "I'm worried about it, too."

Thunder rolled overhead, shaking the windows. Neither of them spoke for several minutes.

"Without power we won't be able to see if Yasuhiko wrote us," Akira commented thoughtfully. Kenji closed his eyes, relaxed and content.

"It's alright. We'll check tomorrow."

"I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow."

"I know." Kenji opened his eyes, thinking. "Do you want me to come with you?" He knew what her answer would be but he always felt it safer to ask. She could be prickly about those kinds of things.

"If you can get away," she said, her voice belaying her tiredness. "What time do you have class?"

He ran his fingers through her hair absently as he answered. "My last one is at 2:00 tomorrow and your appointment isn't until 3:30 right?" He felt her nod against his chest. "Then I'll take you. It's better if you don't drive anyway."

He smiled as she sniffed disdainfully. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you do have a record of road rage."

"Hmph." She yawned. "I'd hurt you but I'm too sleepy."

He kissed her hair. "Sleep then. I'm tired too."

"I'm going to be hungry in the middle of the night," she warned him. He closed his eyes, perfectly happy.

"I'll be here."

To be continued…


	7. A Call To Arms

Author's Notes: In this chapter, I make references to events in the anime ".hackDUSK" aka "Legend of the Twilight Bracelet". If you haven't seen it, don't worry, all pertinent information will be included in the text, but there will be spoilers.

Here's to Renfro, who's latest chapter had me all aglow. The fluff, my friend, the fluff!

Wonderland of My Own Making

Chapter Seven

"This is _so _inconvenient," BlackRose muttered, putting a gauntleted hand over her mouth as she yawned widely. "Doesn't he know a lady needs her beauty sleep?

Kite would have been amused if he hadn't been just as bleary-eyed as his partner. At the moment, he was beginning to wonder if this wasn't his friend's way of trying to get back at him for leaving Japan. "We can't do much about the time difference. Besides, it may be early for us but it's late for him."

BlackRose waved dismissively. "Yeah, but he gets to go _back_ to sleep."

He arched an eyebrow. "And you don't?"

His wife had the grace to blush. "Well, he could have had the decency to pick a better field," she said, looking out over the hot, barren landscape. Heat waves distorted the dungeon in the distance. BlackRose's expression grew thoughtful. "I always wondered why they didn't have tropical island fields in The World. It would have been nice to swim while we're waiting." She grinned suddenly. "Maybe _I_ should become a Moderator. Then I could do whatever I want."

Her words made something click in the back of his mind and he straightened, opening his mouth to speak.

"Hey there! Long time, no see."

Both of them turned at the sound of Orca's pleasant tenor and Kite forgot what he had been about to say in the face of his old friend. He smiled.

"Orca!"

The blue-painted swordsman chuckled and slapped Kite heartily on the back, nearly toppling the leaner Twin Blade. Kite barely managed to keep his hat on his head.

"It's good to see you again," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "I never thought we'd meet like this after all that's happened, but I can't say I'm sorry about it. I missed lecturing you on the finer points of role playing."

Kite smiled crookedly as Orca turned his attention to BlackRose. "And here's the little missus." He looked her up and down. "I must say, you're looking rather good for being six months pregnant," he laughed.

"You always were a tease," she replied airily, but her smile was genuine. Unconsciously, her hand lifted to touch the blue rayed star just below her clavicle in a sort of comforting motion. Kite noticed the movement but said nothing.

Orca's smile turned solemn. "So, I guess you two know why you're here." They both nodded and the Blademaster's gaze found BlackRose. "Sasuke tells me that you and he spoke yesterday. I'm sure then you know that we can't meet anywhere public, that's why I had you come here first. We'll go together to the hideout."

"Hideout?" Kite questioned curiously.

Orca's lips twitched into a bemused smile. "I think you'll find a lot has happened while you've been gone."

Of course, that was an understatement.

The hideout turned out to be a hidden door in Mac Anu that led into a single room filled with pillows and small tables and other odds and ends. The room itself was a rare item and Orca explained that Balmung had shown it to him years ago.

"He used it during his adventures with Shugo and Rena." Orca paused. "Oh, I forgot, you don't know about them." He eyed them both with a bit of hesitancy. "I suppose I might as well tell you that, while you were gone, there was a special Event awhile back. Or at least that's what people thought it was. Anyway, your characters were the prize and they were used for awhile by a set of twins, Shugo and Rena."

"_What?"_ BlackRose's eyes were wide. "You mean, someone was walking around pretending to be me?" She was mortified. Kite just seemed disgruntled.

Orca put his hands up in a placating motion. "As I understand it, they played as themselves, but they did look like you two and they were mistaken for you quite a few times." The Blademaster reached up as if loosening an unseen tie. "Including," he coughed, "the time when Aura gave Shugo— Kite— the Bracelet."

BlackRose's mouth dropped opened. Kite looked stunned.

Orca laughed a bit uncomfortably and wished Balmung had been the one to explain. He was better at dumping everything on a person and then flying off to escape the aftermath. Needless to say, the burly Blademaster was starting to regret letting his partner have those wings.

Meanwhile, BlackRose had had time to turn sarcastic. "So, let me get this straight. While Kenji and myself haven't actually played the game in over ten years, our characters have been waltzing around wielding Bracelets and being controlled by _children_?" The Heavy Blade looked as if the idea was ludicrous. And then, even as Orca watched, she a did a complete turn around, her lips curving into a smile. The Blademaster shook his head. Mood swings. "Hmmm. It's almost funny. I guess the System _really_ didn't care for us."

Kite smiled, but there was a cast to his features that told Orca it was forced. His question was direct and well thought out. "So, is it us or the twins that the System wants?"

BlackRose's good humor faltered and a shadow entered her eyes. Orca shook his head again and sighed. "I'm afraid I don't know. For awhile, Balmung got a job with CC Corp. and became an Admin. He lost the job eventually, not a great loss mind you, but even he's not sure what's going on there. In fact, we haven't heard anything from System Administration in weeks."

"Isn't that strange?" Kite questioned.

"Very." Orca leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Moderators are the ones in charge now. They monitor the boards carefully and then delete characters that get in their way. As you might know, there are three of them, and you have already met their leader." The Azure Sea shook his head. "That one has a cold streak a mile deep. He's merciless when it comes to dealing with us."

"Us? You mean the rebels?" BlackRose asked.

Orca smiled slightly. "Yes. We are the very few who are vocal about the problems within The World. Most users are content to come in, play a few hours, and get out without causing a fuss and I don't blame them. That is what the game is for. But for those of us who want to keep this place free for all types of users, standing up against the Mods is the one thing we can do."

"What do they want?" the Heavy Blade asked, frustrated. "What is it they're after?"

Orca spread his hands. "Power corrupts. In the beginning, they were users just like you and me, but they gained power and now The World kneels to them." His eyes lost their focus for a moment. "I think they might have been like us, like how we were when we first started playing, in love with the idea of a fantastic land where we could be someone else, someone better, different, new. Or maybe we could be free to become our true selves. Whatever the case, they wanted that too, but now… Now their make-believe world has become a kingdom, and they wear the crowns."

"What can we do?" Kite asked softly, and his eyes held Orca where he stood, unobtrusively demanding an answer.

Orca had one ready.

"Join us."

* * *

The ride home from Akira's doctor's appointment that afternoon was uncharacteristically silent despite the fact that Akira and the baby were in perfect health. She supposed it was because they both had a great many things to think about, but it saddened her somewhat that this supposedly happy time in their life was overshadowed by something happening in a world that didn't really exist. The child moving within her was real, and yet it was clear her husband's thoughts were somewhere else at the moment, his dark eyes hardly seeing the road as he drove.

It was to be expected, of course. Orca had put a heavy burden on their shoulders. He wanted them to join the rebels because Kite and BlackRose's combined legendary status would draw followers like candles drew moths. With their help, the Blademaster was sure they could call others to their cause, and perhaps put a bit of fright into the Moderators. The World was out of balance, that was for sure. The users had no voice and that was a problem, but what about Kenji and Akira? How long would it take to regulate The World? How long before the Mods were put in their place? In a little less than four months, Akira would be giving birth to her and Kenji's son. Would he have that distant look in his eyes even then?

Without preamble, Akira burst into tears.

Her husband turned his head quickly, eyes wide. "Kira, what…? What's the matter?"

She shook her head, both hands over her mouth as bright tears coursed down her cheeks. Shoulders shaking, she tried to speak through her sobs.

"I'm…sorry. I don't know…what's wrong with…me." She put her whole face into her hands. "I'm being so…stupid. I…" But she couldn't say it, the need to just cry keeping the words locked inside.

Kenji's face looked like his heart was breaking and he pulled the car into their driveway, turning off the engine quickly so he could lean over the center console, one hand cupping his wife's face.

"It's alright," he said softly. And he thought it was. She had been having mood swings since the first few months of pregnancy and had cried many times, her tears still heartbreaking to watch, but he had always known it was natural. She was under stress.

But now Akira was shaking her head at him, salty drops running over the tips of his fingers. "No, it's not." Her voice was stronger, and she opened her eyes to look at him, tears caught in her lashes. "Kenji, I'm scared." Her hands shook as she reached for his. "I'm going to have a baby, our baby, in less than four months, and I'm scared to death." She tried to smile for him, a bit of panic in her expression. "I keep thinking 'what if I'm a horrible mother?' or 'what if something happens to the baby?'. I know it's stupid, but now, with all this stuff in The World…" Fresh tears spilled silently into hands. "Please, I don't want to do this alone."

If he had thought his heart was breaking before, Kenji was sure it was now cloven in two. He felt tears in the corners of his own eyes as he pulled Akira closer, letting her tears wet his shirt as she rested her head beneath his chin.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I didn't realize…" He closed his eyes briefly, guiltily. "Please forgive me." He pulled away slightly to look into her eyes. "I'm just as scared as you, but someone once told me I clam up when I should be talking." He smiled sadly, wiping away a few of her stray tears with his thumb. "But we're in this together, Akira. You and me. After all, we're partners aren't we? We always have been and always will be, in everything."

She smiled blearily. "I know, but thank you for saying it. It's good to hear once in awhile."

And for the first time in his life, Kenji knew he would do anything to keep her smiling, even if it meant chucking his computer out the window. If it meant she would never have to cry again, he would have done anything. Anything.

"Are you hungry yet?" he asked as she calmed, her breathing matching his.

Akira sniffed. "Will you make blueberry pancakes?"

Kenji had to smile. Blueberry pancakes had become a regular meal ever since she had started craving them. He hugged his wife tightly.

"Anything for you."

To be continued…


	8. A Decision

Author's Notes: Gomen nasai. I hate to do this here but I feel I must address some questions to put an end to certain speculations, if only for my own sanity. The first thing I would like to remind you all of it is that in the previous chapter, I referenced several spoilers from .hackDUSK. I might not have made myself clear, but these spoilers are restricted to the anime, not the manga. So if something happened in the manga that did not happen in the anime, you won't be seeing it in this particular story. Anime references **only**.

Secondly, if you would like to discuss events in "Wonderland" with me, please do so privately. I can't say that I will always explain myself, as all authors wield a certain artistic license, but if you have a guess about something that is happening, don't post it in a review. You might inadvertently be spoiling other reviewers.

Domo arigatou gozaimashite. Thank you.

Dedicated to Ren-kun and Jonathan-sama for being just awesome friends and authors.

Wonderland of My Own Making  
Chapter Eight

An angel stood in the church courtyard.

A rather cranky angel anyway, or at least that had been BlackRose's private opinion, one she had muttered under her breath at her husband before plastering a smile on her face and greeting the Descendant cheerfully.

"Good morning, Balmung-_sama_," she mocked, stressing the respectful Japanese suffix and somehow giving it the completely opposite meaning. The angel's expression twitched. "It's always good to see some people never change."

"Indeed," he retorted, a simple lift of an eyebrow giving the word significance. BlackRose was left simmering as the Blademaster turned his attention to Kite. "Welcome back, Kite. It's been a long time."

Kite smiled. "Not so long for you I heard." At Balmung's confused look, the Twin Blade continued. "Shugo and Rena, we heard about them from Orca."

"And about your little position at CC Corp," BlackRose put in, hands on her hips. "What was that about? Changing sides, Balmung?"

"Not at all," he replied coolly, artificial sunlight glinting off pearly feathers as his wings lifted slightly. "I thought by becoming an Admin I'd be able to make The World safe for all users." A slight smile. "I was mistaken."

"What do you mean?" Kite asked curiously. Balmung tilted his head at him.

"I didn't have to have power to change things." He paused. "But then, you already knew that."

Kite answered with a nod, remembering the fight with Cubia and the feeling of helplessness after having BlackRose destroy the Bracelet. It had been his choice but the loss of it had made him vulnerable. He remembered thinking, would they be able to fight the last Phase without it? Would they end up coma victims? He felt a great sense of gentle pride as he looked back on that time, knowing that despite the long odds, they had pulled through using only the strength of their own wills.

"And now?" Kite asked softly.

Balmung smiled. "And now, I do what I can."

"We saw you fight with Brill that day," BlackRose said, adjusting her voice to the serious turn their conversation was taking. "What happened? Did you escape?"

For a moment, Balmung looked mildly offended that she had used the word 'escape' in conjunction with his name, the seemingly cowardly action unworthy of a Descendant of Fianna. But his expression eased as he read real worry in her crimson eyes and in the set of Kite's shoulders. His smile grew crooked.

"Let's just say we called a temporary truce," he answered, "We have fought many times, he and I, and will do so again. The only thing that changes is the setting."

Kite shifted. "And the price." Serious blue eyes gazed at the legendary Blademaster. "Orca told us what's been happening. The Moderators have gotten out of control and the System Admin is silent. There's no one to stand up for the Users." He would have continued but Balmung turned away, silver armor clinking as he moved, effectively cutting the Twin Blade off.

"I know what you're going to say, Kite, but it's not going to be like before. If you're going to fight for the Users, you might have to fight _against_ them."

BlackRose's eyes widened. "What?"

Balmung's face was grim. "Did you see the crowd in Mac Anu the day I fought Brill? They were cheering him, _pushing_ him to eliminate that Heavy Axeman. Sure, some probably felt it was wrong but were too frightened to say anything, but most of those have left The World in search of more relaxed games. Most of the Users that still come here are aware of the Mods dominating power and either don't mind it or don't care." His eyes darkened. "If you're going to join us with the notion that with a moving speech or two and a heroic battle with the Mods you'll bring peace to the Servers, I'm afraid I'll have to disillusion you. If it were that simple, we wouldn't need your help."

Kite's reply was both earnest and determined, bringing him a look of mild surprise from his partner. "I know," he said quietly. "This situation is completely different from anything either I or BlackRose have faced." He looked away for a moment. "I've been thinking about this decision a lot, we both have, and I have some conditions, but…" He exchanged a glance with BlackRose who nodded once. The Twin Blade met Balmung's eyes with clear honesty.

"We're with you."

* * *

"The Hideout", as it had been affectionately nicknamed, somehow managed to contain all the rebels of The World and still have space to breathe, the tiny room almost expanding and contracting as players came and went. Kite and BlackRose watched them all from their own corner, having had several reunions with characters excited to see them, the biggest surprise being the return of Sanjuro.

Apparently, Sanjuro had also been party to the events surrounding Shugo and Rena and had only been more than willing to reunite with Kite and BlackRose, the samurai giving the Heavy Blade a chaste peck on the cheek when he saw her and ruffling Kite's aqua hair as if he were fourteen again, both actions eliciting smiles from their recipients.

Perhaps less surprising was the fact that Sanjuro was Sasuke's mentor, a fact that explained the vaguely samurai influences in the Heavy Blade's appearance. The sun-haired boy greeted BlackRose with an exuberant hug, something Kite tolerated with an amused look, and actually bowed to the former Bearer of the Bracelet, his cheerful demeanor very reminiscent of his mother, Mistral.

"Mother's told me all about you," Sasuke told him confidentially, a grin on his young face. "Is it really true your joining us?"

"It is," Kite told him wryly. The Heavy Blade grinned.

"Wait until I tell her. She'll never believe it."

After that, there was a momentary lull wherein Kite tried to make a mental head count of the rebels, knowing of course that not all of them were present due to time differences, etc. Balmung, Orca, Sanjuro, Sasuke, BlackRose and himself, and then another member he was not familiar with, a black garbed Wave Master named Bith.

It was Bith who turned out to be the hacker.

"Ah, the famous duo, Kite and BlackRose," Bith said elegantly, a thin smile curving his lips. Kite stiffened at the sound of his voice, an immediate dislike rising within him. It was surprising, really, he was usually very comfortable when meeting new people, but this guy…

BlackRose seemed to have her reservations about the Wave Master as well, her head tilting as she gazed at him flatly. Bith's smile never faltered.

"I hope everything is alright with your characters. Your data was a little hard to retrieve." He chuckled lowly. "And I thought Helba had taught me everything." Kite blinked and BlackRose made a sound in her throat. Bith seemed amused by their reactions. "Oh, you didn't know? Well, why would you, we have never met. Helba no longer accesses the game but I find the rebel's cause to be just." He bowed, ready to move on. "Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you."

"Actually," Kite said, halting the other man in his tracks, "there _is_ something I want to ask you." He nodded at BlackRose. "She has a strange mark there, just over her heart." Bith murmured a brief apology as he leaned towards BlackRose to see where Kite indicated. "It's not part of her original character. Do you know what it is?"

Bith was frowning. "I hate to say this, but I don't. I checked your files thoroughly for bugs or errors so I'm sure it's not dangerous. Waste data perhaps?" The Wave Master shook his head. "Whatever it is, it appears to be dormant. I'll have another look at your data just to be sure, but I wouldn't worry. It seems harmless."

He nodded to them both in farewell and Kite watched him go, trying to figure out just what it was about the man that he didn't like. He didn't have much time to contemplate it though because, next to him, BlackRose stiffened, her eyes reading something he couldn't see.

"What is it?" he questioned.

"It's Kazu," she answered, and he realized she was reading a FlashMail. "He wants to meet us." She seemed unsurprised by the fact that her brother was in The World and he shook his head, realizing she must have contacted him on her own.

"Now?" he asked, shifting on his feet.

"If we can get away," she confirmed, finally meeting his gaze. "He says he has good news."

Kite's eyebrows rose and he smiled. "Let's go."

* * *

Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field was cleared of monsters by the time they arrived, evidence of Kazu's boredom as he waited for them, no doubt. The moment the Wave Master laid eyes on them, he smiled, his whole face lightening up.

"Sis! Kenji!"

BlackRose reached out to ruffle her brother's hair. "It's good to see you, little brother," she said, her voice a little rough. There were tears in her eyes.

"Aaa," he said, nudging her affectionately with an elbow, "You're not going all mushy on me, are ya?" His gaze turned to Kite and he winked good naturedly. "You must be a saint to put up with her, Ken." That earned him a smack on the arm from his sister and he grinned. "Hey, hey, is that what I get after doing so much hard work?"

That drew Kite's attention. "Hard work?"

"Yeah, Sis asked me to look into things here after your incident with Brill in Mac Anu," he answered, leaning slightly against his staff. "I hadn't played for awhile, but I thought it might be interesting." His eyes glittered. "Since I'm relatively unknown it was pretty simple to learn what I wanted without raising too many eyebrows." His smile slipped into a wide grin. "And, boy, do I have a surprise for you."

"What?" BlackRose asked impatiently. Her brother stood up straighter, almost proudly.

"Guess who's going dungeon crawling with a certain Twin Blade named Dagger tomorrow?"

Kenji felt his digital jaw drop. "Dagger? You mean the Moderator, Dagger?"

"The very same."

BlackRose looked to Kite, her expression serious, a hard glint in her garnet eyes. He nodded to the unspoken question he saw there. She turned to Kazu, her tough, trademark smile a herald of the battle to come.

"Mind some company?"

To be continued…


	9. A Many Rayed Star

Author's Notes: Something just occurred to me, but for those of you who aren't familiar with Japanese I wanted to present to you the correct pronunciation of "Sasuke." Basically, you don't pronounce the 'u', making it end up something like "Sauce-kay".

Alright that's all from Berry-sensei today. Enjoy the chapter. ;)

PS. You're REALLY going to hate me for the cliffhanger.

Wonderland of My Own Making

Chapter Nine

Kazu walked along the last hallway in the bottom floor of the dungeon with no amount of hesitation, seemingly intent on the open doorway to the Gott Statue chamber as any other player would be. He didn't bother to glance at his companion, having had ample time to take his measure of one of the tyrannical Moderators. His conclusion was thus: Dagger was not Brill.

If any word could be applied to him it would have to be "lazy", surprising since he had chosen the Twin Blade class, it's characters known for their swiftness. Kazu would have been shocked to see Dagger move faster than a walk, the man's wry smile and nonchalant way of looking at things completely at odds with his reputation. If a portal activated, Dagger would come to a standstill and simply wait for the emerging monster to reach him before attacking, his battle tactics fluid but lacking the sharp focus Kazu had seen Kite display on the field.

All in all, Kazu wasn't that impressed.

Later, of course, he would realize his mistake. Dagger's calm was not due to laziness. It was due to confidence, something that became readily apparent when the attack began.

At the specified moment, Kazu stepped aside as one Sin of Hades went sailing through the spot he had previously occupied, heading straight for Dagger's unprotected neck in a flash of light.

Dagger lifted one of his own daggers and knocked the blade out of the air almost whimsically, sinking into a battle stance as Kite flew at him, somehow making his single Sin of Hades seem like a whirlwind of razor blades.

"It's you," Dagger said, stopping a thrust to his ribs with his left hand and slashing at Kite's face with his right, forcing the brightly-garbed Twin Blade into a back handspring to avoid it. "What are you doing here? Don't you know we're looking for you?"

"And now you've found me," Kite answered, falling into a crouch and swinging out his right leg in a sweep that knocked his opponent's legs out from under him. Dagger hit the ground hard but Kazu saw him gather his energy, intent on flipping to his feet.

The tip of a massive sword under his jaw stopped him.

"Hello there," BlackRose said easily, holding her weapon one-handed as if it weighed nothing. Her eyes flickered to her partner who was picking up his discarded blade. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just nicked me," he replied, rubbing his tattooed cheek self-consciously. His cobalt eyes found Kazu. "Good job, Kazu. We were beginning to wonder if you would make it."

The Wave Master crossed her arms. "You could have picked an easier dungeon," he muttered good-naturedly, "Did it have to have _seven_ levels?"

Dagger coughed. "Uhm, excuse me— "

BlackRose twitched her blade, snapping the Mod's jaw shut. "Did I say you could talk?"

Dagger glared at her but was forced to redirect his attention as Kite came to stand before him, watching him evenly.

"You may think we've come to PK you, but that's not the case. We could have done that the moment you entered the dungeon, BlackRose could even do it now if she wished. Unfortunately, our solution is not so simple as that."

Dagger eyed the Heavy Blade warily before attempted to speak. "What solution?"

"My partner and I are being hunted by you and the other Mods, and Users are being deleted just for standing up to you." Kite's voice hardened. "We have questions we'd like answered. If you agree to speak with us, I promise you won't be harmed. Refuse…" He trailed off and Dagger's eyes widened fractionally as if already imagining what horrible things awaited him.

"You…" Dagger licked his lips nervously. "If they find out I talked to you…" He closed his eyes briefly. "It could get very bad for me."

Kite tilted his head. "Then I suggest you cooperate. The less trouble you make, the quicker you can leave."

BlackRose leaned forward, a hard smile on her face as light shivered down the steel of her blade. The edge grazed Dagger's neck.

"Well, what do you say?"

The Moderator smiled ruefully. "Looks like I don't have a choice." He sighed. "What do you want to know?"

* * *

To: **BlackRose  
**From: **Sasuke**

I have something I need to tell you. Please come to Lambda Nameless Forbidden Holy Ground _as soon as possible._

_

* * *

_

Still holding Dagger at bay, BlackRose blinked as the FlashMail dinged in her ear. Reading it through quickly, she closed the window and looked to Kite who was already watching her, waiting for her to tell him what was going on.

"It's Sasuke," she answered, "He wants to meet me." She glanced down at the subdued Moderator. "Will you be alright if I…?"

Kite nodded. "Go ahead. Kazu and I can finish here."

Gracefully, BlackRose stepped back just as Kazu took her place, the end of his wand pushed against Dagger's throat. The captured Twin Blade managed to look disgruntled.

"I shouldn't be very long," she told them, and disappeared as she teleported to the doorway of the dungeon, then out of the field altogether.

It took only moment to transfer to the Theta Server, inputting her keywords as quickly as possible to avoid detection and feeling the familiar rush as the Chaos Gate propelled her into the field.

The sky was darkly overcast when she arrived, lightning crackling in the distance. It was a pitiful field to meet in and she wondered why Sasuke had chosen it. She wouldn't be surprised if it started pouring any minute.

Putting her hands on her hips, she looked around for the young Heavy Blade, wondering impatiently why he was making her wait. Perhaps irrationally she was worried about leaving Kite and Kazu to handle Dagger alone. They were both strong players and when Kite was determined, nothing could stop him, but Dagger was a Moderator, and they were nothing if not tricky.

"Hello again, _BlackRose_," a voice sneered behind her.

She whirled, one hand going to her throat in surprise, her ruby eyes widening as her heartbeat quickened both in the digital world and the real one.

"Brill."

The Moderator smiled harshly, tightening his hold on a very weak and beaten Sasuke, the blade of his spear brushing the boy's throat even as hers had brushed Dagger's only a moment ago.

Forsaken Light came to her hand almost unconsciously, it's red afterimage trailing in the air as she lifted it.

"What do you want?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even, highly aware that Kenji was sitting right next to her in his study, his own voice only a murmur to her as he continued to interrogate Dagger. She had to buy him some time with the captured Mod before calling him to her. They had to have answers.

She had to keep Brill busy.

"I was hoping to bring Kite to me. Unfortunately, this boy only had _your_ Member Address." Brill shook his head, dark hair sliding over his shoulders. "Kids these days."

Sasuke was looking at her with tear-filled eyes, frightened and ashamed and still young enough to cry. Her heart went out to him and she felt herself start to get angry, a good sign if she was forced to fight Brill.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," she retorted, watching him carefully.

Brill shrugged. "Life's full of disappointments." Sasuke's health points dropped by 20 as Brill's spear pushed against the boy's neck. BlackRose gasped and barely restrained herself from surging forward. Reckless actions would only hurt Sasuke more.

"Stop it!" she whispered furiously, her grip tightening on the hilt of her sword.

Brill smiled icily, the expression sending chills up her spine. "You've been quite troublesome to find, you know that? Your hacker covered your tracks quite well. I guess it's fortunate that we have a hacker of our own."

"You," she said through gritted teeth. "It was you that sent me that email."

Brill acknowledged her words with a nod. "Why, yes, though Ruka did the actual work. She's quite good at ferreting out secrets."

"Not that good or she would have found you Kite's Member Address," she shot back scathingly. Brill's face clouded.

"Enough of this," he snapped. "I came for Kite but I'll be just as glad to get rid of his partner." With a shove, Sasuke was sent flying to the side where he collapsed, and Brill launched himself at BlackRose, spear spinning.

Startled, she raised Forsaken Light defensively and felt Brill's blow slam against her blade, the force of it shivering up her arms, making her bite her lip. Quick as a striking snake, Brill whirled, his spear whipping outwards and then back before she even had time to change her stance, a sharp slash across her forearm making her cry out and move backwards, barely deflecting another viper-fast stab towards her stomach.

In her head, Balmung's words rang through her mind. _Let's just say we called a temporary truce. _If the great winged Descendant of Fianna only managed to draw a tie against Brill, what could she possibly hope to…

Just a little bit longer, she chanted to herself, keeping half an ear on Kenji's conversation only a few feet away. _A little bit longer._

With a low growl, she attacked using all of her strength, her sword a blur of red and silver. Brill countered every move, never letting her blade within an inch of himself, all the way a cold smile on his face.

When he had had enough, he simply blocked her latest attack, spun his lance around and over her sword and pulled down on the shaft, ripping the hilt from her fingers. A choked cry sounded from her but he left her no time to react, slamming the end of his spear into her stomach and watching dispassionately as she fell backwards, unable to breathe.

Yards away, Sasuke called out weakly, his voice hoarse. "Don't! Leave her alone! Don't hurt her!"

Brill ignored him, standing victoriously over the downed Heavy Blade. She looked up at him wearily, breathing heavily, eyes wide as he raised his spear one final time. With a last heave of effort, she drew air into her aching lungs and screamed as steel descended.

"KITE!"

Something blue exploded.

It burst into being above her, curving downwards, it's surface transparent, the color of sky. It was like a flat sphere, a shield almost, and she looked up through at Brill, watching in amazement as his lance came down against it at full speed.

There was a sound like the deep tone of a bell and then The World flashed white for a moment. Forced to look away, BlackRose covered her eyes, squinting through her fingers as Brill flew backwards through the air, his weapon disintegrating into ashes.

He landed hard on his back and didn't move.

The light died and there was a soft _whoosh!_ as something seemed to rush back into her. The blue shield disappeared and she jerked as it zipped back into the rayed star over her heart, the tattoo hot to the touch. In the real world, the baby kicked.

Closing her eyes, she laughed lightly, one hand covering her stomach.

"I see," she murmured, "I see."

And then she was looking into Kenji's terrified eyes as he ripped her goggles away, his hands cupping her face immediately, his fingers shaking. "Kira, Kira, what happened? Tell me, what happened? Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He was frantic.

She reached up to grip his arms, an odd, almost joyful expression on her face. "Kenji, you won't believe this. It was the baby, _the baby…_"

"Oh God," he whispered, "What do you mean? Is he alright? Are _you_ alright?"

She laughed, so relieved she wasn't sure if she wanted to weep or dance around the room, and threw her arms around her husband's neck.

"We're fine," she answered serenely. "Our son saved my life."

To be continued…

(ducks various sharp objects)


	10. A Question Answered

Author's Notes: Soooo, yeah, I took a page from Renfro's book "How To Write Duel POV's For Dummies". This chapter is basically the events of the previous chapter told instead from Kite's POV instead of BlackRose's. Hehehe. Oh, and I'm just curious, but how many of you had already guessed what BR's tattoo was? I know a couple of you had already figured it out but others were completely surprised. Verrrrry interesting. (grins)

And if you're a Kite/BlackRose fan (which I assume you are or you wouldn't be reading this) you need to head over to CyberConnects website. It's got a new top picture I think you all will like immensely. I'd include the link but we all know will just eat it.

Wonderland of My Own Making

Chapter Ten

Kite stood perfectly still in the shadows of the doorway leading to the Gott Statue, his eyes trained on the opposite door from where Kazu and the Moderator would enter, hopefully somewhat worn out after the long haul to the bottom floor. He wasn't sure just how strong Dagger would be and so it seemed safest to wear him down with monster battles before trying to trap him. Kazu had promised not to heal him too much before the final floor as well in an attempt for Dagger to reach the last room at at least half health. Any lower than that would cast suspicion on Kazu.

The Twin Blade took a deep breath and released it slowly. Somehow, the plan had seemed so perfect the day before, but now that the time had almost arrived, he had a funny feeling that everything would not go so smoothly. They were dealing with a Moderator after all and they had powers above that of other Users. If it got rough, what was to stop Dagger from deleting him?

The answer was simple: nothing.

Not that his partner would just stand by and watch, of course. Glancing to the right a little, he searched for a flicker of movement and found it, a sign BlackRose was restless in her own hiding spot. Come to think of it, they had been waiting at least twenty minutes. Had something gone wrong above?

But just as he readied a FlashMail, Kazu stepped into the room followed shortly by a Twin Blade dressed in muted shades of blue set off by the vivid yellow markings on his face. Calm sky blue eyes gaze about the room nonchalantly, the Moderator's spine curved slightly as if he couldn't be bothered to stand up straight.

Kite arched an eyebrow in mild surprise. This was one of the feared Moderators? The thought served as a reminder and he nodded to himself. Despite the guy's looks, he had been made a Moderator for a reason. It would not do to underestimate him.

Because of that, Kite only threw one of his Sin of Hades straight at the other Twin Blade's neck, a silent test. Kazu moved out of the way gracefully and Dagger lifted one of his own knives and knocked Kite's out of the air an inch from his skin, that lazy smile never leaving his face as he sank into a battle stance.

Kite rushed him, knowing for sure now that he needed to end it quickly. The guy hadn't even blinked during Kite's attack, as if it were perfectly reasonable for a dagger to fly at him out of nowhere. This player was dangerous.

Kite lunged, his remaining Sin of Hades going for Dagger's ribs. The Mod deflected the strike while bringing his other knife up to slash at Kite's face.

"It's you," he said, a small amount of surprise in his voice. "What are you doing here? Don't you know we're looking for you?"

Kite felt the momentary sting of a shallow cut and flipped backwards into a back handspring, bringing him out of Dagger's reach. "I know you've found me," he replied, sinking into a crouch and sweeping the Mod's legs out from under him with one of his own. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement to his right and hid a grin.

Flat on his back, Dagger gathered his energy to roll to his feet only to be stopped by the flat of a massive sword put to his neck, the tip pushing into his throat.

"Hello there," BlackRose said simply, a rebellious smile on her face. Kite grinned to himself and leaned down to pick up the Sin of Hades he had thrown, flipping the knives in his hands as his partner's gaze caught his. "Are you alright?'

He rubbed his cheek with a fist. "Yeah, just nicked me." He glanced over at the silent Wave Master. "Good job, Kazu. We were beginning to wonder if you would make it."

Kazu crossed his arms over his chest. "You could have picked an easier dungeon," he muttered good-naturedly, "Did it have to have _seven_ levels?"

Still on the ground, Dagger coughed as if to catch their attention. "Uhm, excuse me— "

BlackRose's blade twitched closer, the Heavy Blade's eyebrows drawn together in a frown. "Did I say you could talk?"

Dagger glared at her but shut his mouth, his attention focusing on Kite as the brightly-garbed Twin Blade stepped closer, a determined look on his face. "You may think we've come to PK you, but that's not the case. We could have done that the moment you entered the dungeon, BlackRose could even do it now if she wished." Dagger's fingers twitched. "Unfortunately, our solution is not so simple as that."

The Moderator glanced at BlackRose warily before answering, "What solution?"

"My partner and I are being hunted by you and the other Mods, and Users are being deleted just for standing up to you." Kite's voice hardened. "We have questions we'd like answered. If you agree to speak with us, I promise you won't be harmed. Refuse…" He deliberately trailed off and watched with reluctant satisfaction as the captured Twin Blade began to realize just what the situation was.

"You… If they find out I talked to you… It could get very bad for me."

Kite moved his head to the side, one cobalt eye watching Dagger with a coldness that wouldn't have been possible had he not suddenly recalled how chaotic his own life had become. "Then I suggest you cooperate. The less trouble you make, the quicker you can leave."

Leaning over Dagger, BlackRose gave him a hard smile, her blade tilting. "Well, what do you say?"

He sent her a rueful grin in return. "Looks like I don't have a choice. What do you want to know?"

However, before Kite could fire off the first question, BlackRose stiffened slightly, her eyes looking upwards as she read something only she could see. He had only to wait seconds before her attention was back and she looked over at him, her garnet eyes serious.

"It's Sasuke," she said to his unspoken question, "He wants to meet me." A quick glance at their prisoner. "Will you be alright if I…?"

He nodded, secretly wondering what Sasuke wanted. They had not told the other rebels about their plan so the young Heavy Blade couldn't know what bad timing he had. Still, the situation was not ideal. Three against one was much better than two against one. But Kite knew Sasuke had become important to BlackRose, a combination of her rising motherly instincts and the fact that he seemed to look up to her as well. And if the boy needed help…

"Go ahead. Kazu and I can finish here," he told her, watching passively as Kazu took her place, the end of his staff pushed hard against the side of Dagger's throat. The Wave Master grinned.

"I shouldn't be very long," she reassured him over her shoulder as she teleported away and he returned his attention to Dagger, gripping his Sin of Hades more firmly incase the Mod wanted to try anything. Not that there was much chance of that. Kite had seen for himself how quick Kazu could be with his spells, but it was better to play it safe.

"Alright then, we'll do this quickly, the better for the both of us," he said. "First, tell me why BlackRose and I are wanted by the System."

Dagger looked at him incredulously. "Don't you know? I thought it would be obvious." His eyebrows had risen in surprise. "The Bracelet, of course."

Kite's expression thinned. "Why would the System want that? It's an illegal item. If they were to follow their own rules, it would have to be destroyed." Or quarantined.

Dagger snorted. "I didn't say the System wanted it, you did, but it's Brill whose after it. It was him that gave Ruka and I the order." His eyes latched onto Kite's right wrist. "It's said it has the power to hack through gates as well as monsters. Maybe even characters." His gaze flickered up to Kite's face and the Twin Blade answered honestly.

"I don't have it."

The Moderator looked unconvinced. "Well, it's invisible, isn't it? How can I know if you're telling the truth?" He shrugged then, as if it didn't matter. "Brill wants to get rid of you two anyway, now that you've shown yourselves. He can't stand anyone stronger than he is."

Kite had a flash of Brill fighting with Balmung, the Long Arm's face twisted with hatred. Given the chance, he would have erased Fianna's Descendant without turning a hair.

In the real world, he half heard Akira speaking but had to ignore it in order to stay focused on the situation. It wasn't over yet.

"Why are you deleting characters?" he asked firmly. It was almost a surprise when Dagger looked ashamed and uncomfortable.

"As to that, well, I didn't agree with it at first. Brill wanted to fulfill his role as a Moderator and thought that anyone questioning the order of things should be thrown away, scrapped." Dagger gave a sudden, harsh laugh. "He's always wanted to create a perfect world, preferably one he could control. Those Users simply got in the way of that."

"You said 'at first', so now you agree with his actions?" Kite asked, struggling to stay calm.

"I like it here," Dagger replied simply. "I like The World. Brill's a bit overboard, but we've known each other for years. Life's been tough on him, I guess he just wanted to find a place that wouldn't disappoint him." Sky blue eyes hardened. "I may not agree with him, but I won't betray him, either."

Kite tensed, feeling the tension in the room rise a few notches. On the floor, Dagger gripped one of his knives. Above him, Kazu reached inside his jacket for a tarot card.

Then it happened.

"KITE!"

For an instant, he was struck powerless, the scream echoing in his head making both Kite and Kenji tremble at its implications. Then, with a surge of adrenaline, he ripped off his headset and jumped up from his computer, his chair scrapping backwards across the floor.

He never saw Kite go limp, his User gone. Nor did he see Dagger lunge forward, swatting Kazu's wand away as the Wave Master raised The Hanged Man.

All he saw was his wife's startled face as he pulled off her headset, her dark eyes at their widest as he touched her face quickly, frantically, his own eyes reflecting the sudden terror her scream had awakened in him. "Kira, Kira, what happened? Tell me, what happened? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She gripped his arms, her expression turning to one of amazement and maybe happiness. Her voice was filled with wonder when she spoke. "Kenji, you won't believe this. It was the baby, _the baby_…"

Kenji felt his heart sink, his chest suddenly unbearably tight. Almost the words wouldn't come. "Oh God." He swallowed and held on to his wife's shoulders. "What do you mean? Is he alright? Are _you_ alright?"

To his disbelief, Akira laughed, a full glorious laugh and threw her arms around his neck, holding him tightly.

"We're fine." The tones of her voice made him start breathing again. "Our son saved my life."

To be continued…


	11. A Realization of Loss

Author's Notes: This is a sort of unsettling chapter and I meant it to be. I can't let you all get too comfortable, right? I'm sure you'll be glad to hear also that we're getting to the last chapters here. Drama off the port bow.

Wonderland of My Own Making  
Chapter Eleven

Kenji had never been more confused in his life.

"What do you mean?" he whispered, still feeling the icy cold fingers of fear around his heart. He moved Akira back slightly so he could look into her eyes. "What do you mean our son saved you?"

She gave a hiccupping sort of laugh, as if even she were having a hard time understanding what she was saying. "In the game, when Sasuke called me, Brill had him. He tried to fight me but the tattoo came to life." She clapped a hand over her heart where the blue rayed star graced her skin within The World. "It saved me. _Our son_ saved me."

Kenji's head hurt. "Wait, wait, how do you know this?"

His wife smiled. "I just know. He's a part of me and, somehow, when we went back into the game, he came with me." She shook her head in wonder. "Even Bith didn't know what the mark meant, right?" She gripped his hand tightly. "I don't know how it happened but it did. Our son fought for me." Her eyes widened slightly. "I…I never saw what happened to Brill, or Sasuke…"

He took a breath, his first in minutes, and glanced at their computers. "If it's true…" His heart thumped in his chest at the thought. "If it's true it might be too dangerous for you to go back in." At her sound of protest, he turned back to her, his expression the most determined she had ever seen it. "I mean it, Kira. Until we figure this out, I'm not letting you go back." Her mouth snapped shut and she nodded, though grudgingly. He released her. "Good. I'm going to go make sure Kazu is alright. I left him alone with Dagger." He squeezed her hand and then slid back into his chair, pulling his headset back on as Akira stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder.

The World tilted back into view and Kite opened his eyes to find Kazu on the ground, paralyzed, and the Moderator gone.

Pulling a restorative item from his inventory, Kite gave it to Kazu and watched the Wave Master sputter back into movement, his wand coming up defensively as if still fighting Dagger.

Kite sighed in relief and spoke aloud for Akira's benefit. "Kazu's alright. Dagger's gone though." Returning his attention to the bewildered Wave Master, Kite helped the younger man stand up. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Kazu shook his head, perplexed. "I could ask you the same thing. One minute you're here, the next your mind is somewhere else and Dagger decides he's had enough questioning." He rubbed the side of his head as if remembering a particularly hard blow. "He clocked me a good one and then used my own card on me. I didn't see where he went."

"It's alright," Kite reassured him. "We got what we wanted." He glanced upwards, his eyes trained on a field far away from that one. "Listen, will you be okay on your own? I have to check on someone else."

Kazu nodded, still mystified but trusting Kite's decisions. "Sure. I think I'm going to log out anyway. Take a breather. Let me know if you need me?"

The Twin Blade nodded. "Of course." He clapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder. "Thank you for your help. I'll have Akira email you when she can." Then he turned his head slightly, speaking to her in the real world. "What was the field you went to?"

Her reply came quickly. "Lambda Nameless Forbidden Holy Ground."

With a quick teleport he left the field, stopping only briefly at the Chaos Gate in order to input his keywords. When he finally arrived at the storm-strewn landscape, he was more than prepared for what he saw.

Sasuke stood over the prone figure of Brill, raindrops sliding down his pale gold hair and pinging off his drawn broadsword. His young face was a mask of concentration, his white-knuckled grip on his hilt making the sword tremble in his hands. Not ten feet away, BlackRose lay sprawled in the wet grass as if she had been struck down, her User gone.

Kite stood silently for a moment, realizing the delicate nature of the situation, and his whisper was for his wife's ears alone. "Log out, Kira." He felt her nod and leave him and within moments gold rings descended on BlackRose, the character disappearing.

The movement startled Sasuke who jerked, eyes wide, tears in his lashes. Kite felt his heart go out to the boy and made his voice soft and comforting.

"She's alright, you know. She's safe."

Sasuke whirled, frightened, but Kite didn't move, simply watching as the Heavy Blade got himself under control, lowering his sword until it's tip was buried in the earth. He leaned against it heavily, out of breath, and it was only then that Kite realized he was badly injured.

"Pha Repth," Kite murmured. Sasuke exhaled and stood up straight, his expression clearing.

"Thank you," he said quietly before looking away, shame coloring his features. "I don't deserve it. She wouldn't have come if it wasn't for me."

Finally, Kite stepped forward, a wry look on his face. "You don't know her very well then. She would have come anyway, just to be stubborn." Sasuke looked up at his words and Kite grimaced as his User received a punch in the shoulder from Akira. "You couldn't help what happened." He glanced down at Brill, who looked to be unconscious. The Heavy Blade followed his gaze.

"I wanted to kill him," Sasuke said softly. "If anyone deserves to be PK'd, it's him, but I…" He laughed miserably. "I couldn't do it. Even when he's like this, I can't do it."

"That only means you are an honorable person," Kite replied truthfully. "I would have been disappointed if you had PK'd him. It would mean changing my opinion of you."

It took Sasuke a moment to realize what he was saying, but when he did, the Heavy Blade's expression lightened. A little of his guilt lifted from his shoulders.

"Well, what _should_ we do with him then?"

"We'll leave him," Kite answered immediately. "His User is probably just stunned." He frowned slightly, realizing he didn't know that for sure. What had Akira meant when she said their son had _fought_ for her? "He'll be back to normal when he comes around, and the others might be looking for him." He caught Sasuke's eyes. "Log out for now. I'll contact everyone once I get everything straight."

The Heavy Blade nodded, paused, and then smiled weakly. "Will you… tell her I said I'm sorry?"

Kite's answer was direct. "She already knows."

* * *

Hours later, lying in bed with his wife, Kenji was no less confused. He was, however, over the massive scare he had received and completely relaxed in the circle of Akira's arms, her head against his chest as he drew meaningless patterns on her shoulder. His eyes had been trained on the ceiling for the last few minutes, his mind hard at work going over all the events of the day. It was now well into the early hours of morning and he still hadn't managed to fall asleep. Of course, neither had Akira and the thought both worried and comforted him.

He had never really been comfortable with the idea of her going into the game in her condition. After all the comatose patients, the stories of a player's mind trapped in The World, the deletions, the strange occurrences, he had been unsure of what might happen to her. Now, with the knowledge that his son was somehow a part of Akira whenever she became BlackRose… Well, it didn't make him rest any easier. It was wonderful that he had protected her, but all the same, Kenji would have been much happier if it hadn't been necessary.

"Be quiet," his wife commanded sleepily against him. "You're thinking too loud."

He smiled slightly. "I thought you had finally drifted off."

She snuggled deeper into his side. "I can't." This time he heard the frustration in her voice. "I keep remembering that flash of blue light." Her arm tightened protectively around her belly and she lifted her head slightly to look at him. "How do you think this happened?"

He exhaled softly. "I don't know. I'm not sure if anyone does. After all, lots of incredible things have happened within The World." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I do know that I don't want you going back in anytime soon. At least not until we know what the Moderators are going to do," he added, to silence any of her protests. Surprisingly, she had none.

"I agree," she answered, lying her head back down again. "In a couple days it will be seven months. I don't want to take any chances."

Kenji closed his eyes. "Me neither."

"I want— " She bit off her next word and curled in on herself, a harsh intake of air making him look over at her in concern.

"What is it?"

"A cramp or something." She breathed out heavily, her body relaxing once again. "It's over."

Kenji reached over and laid a hand on her stomach, concentrating, and so he felt the next muscle movement clearly. He sat upright immediately, wide awake as Akira gritted her teeth, her face scrunched in discomfort.

"They're not too bad," she said, when she could talk normally again. "I'm alright, I think. The doctor said most women have light contractions during their pregnancies. He called it 'practice'." She rolled her eyes, obviously preparing a nice retort to the doctor when she saw him again.

Ten minutes later, doubled over on their bed, Akira looked up at him with a grim expression.

"We need to go to the hospital."

* * *

"False labor," the doctor reported as he stepped out into the waiting room, a gentle smile on his face as Kenji felt his heart start beating again. "It's not uncommon and the contractions have stopped. The baby is in perfect health."

Relief never felt so good. "Thank you," Kenji said whole-heartedly. "May I see her?"

"Of course, although I must remind you that what she needs now is rest free from stress." He patted Kenji on the shoulder in farewell. "I'll send someone with the paperwork."

Taking a deep breath, Kenji headed into the emergency room Akira occupied, knocking softly on the door before stepping inside. His wife greeted him with a brave smile.

"It was nothing," she said before he managed to open his mouth, "And we're both alright." She held out her hand and he clasped it, leaning over to kiss her gently. "So quit worrying," she added as they broke apart.

His only answer was to squeeze her hand.

To be continued…


	12. A Final Interlude

Author's Notes: One final interlude before the beginning of the end. Wow, I think I'm actually out of things to say here so I'll shut up and let you read. Tee hee.

Wonderland of My Own Making  
Chapter Twelve

The next day, Takamoto Kenji called in sick.

Then he made blueberry pancakes.

There was something comforting in standing barefoot in his kitchen, the morning sunshine streaming through the window blinds, the hazy memories of dreams still dancing in his head as he mixed pancake batter. He thought about nothing in particular as he cooked, simply relishing a quiet and serene morning alone. He had woke with the knowledge of what he was going to do and that finality had given him peace. Pancakes had never looked so good.

In fact, Kenji realized that taking out the trash could also be enjoyable. His neighbors waved at him and he only smiled as they shortened his name to the Americanized "Ken", unperturbed when he had to walk through dew-drenched grass to grab the paper. How had he overlooked all these different pieces of his life? They were small, and perhaps without meaning in the grader scheme of things, but Kenji knew they were what filled each day. The tiny little nothings that eventually equaled one glorious _something_.

The crown to all this was Akira.

After stacking a plate full of pancakes, he left it on the table and went to check on her, standing in the doorway of their bedroom for a moment just to watch her. She had fallen instantly asleep after their early morning return from the hospital. She had seemed fearless in the face of, what was to her, very real contractions, taking the pain with a grimace and sharp breaths. She had also flipped the tables on him.

He had stepped into her hospital room expecting to have to reassure her that everything was alright. Instead, she was the one to comfort _him_, brushing off her experience as if she had just been overly paranoid. Kenji, of course, knew better, and so he had not been able to push the matter aside and pretend everything was fine.

Later, after Akira had fallen asleep, he had realized that he had failed her. Once again he had clammed up and said nothing, letting her build a façade that kept either one of them from dealing with the problem.

He had stayed awake, turning everything over in his head, Akira breathing softly near his ear, and he had come to a conclusion. He could not have everything. He could not have The World and have a life. At least, not the life he _wanted_ to have. Akira deserved more, their son deserved more.

It was time to end things.

And that was something _Kite_ deserved.

Kenji smiled softly as he padded over to his sleeping wife, her shoulders rising and falling with every breath, one hand curved around her stomach even in sleep. The morning light was just beginning to slide over their rumpled sheets, a few rays of it tangling in Akira's dark hair and making dust motes look like specks of gold. Lying there, unaware, snuggled into the spot he had vacated, Kenji was sure she had never looked more beautiful.

Leaning over her carefully, he brushed a lock of hair from her face and kissed her forehead. Wanting only to stay there with her, locked into an endless morning where they could stay in bed and imagine together what their son would look like.

But there was something he had to finish.

"Dream of me," he whispered and left her, pausing only long enough to close the door behind him.

Whatever happened, he didn't want to wake her.

* * *

"What do you mean Brill is blackmailing the Admin?"

Dagger's jaw was tight as he watched Ruka pace, his usually lax gaze focused intensely on the small Wave Master, waiting for an answer he hoped was good.

The third Moderator wore a grim expression, her edited-in pink witch's hat almost slipping from her head as she turned to glare at him, her fiery temper only matched by her flame-red hair.

"I'm not an idiot, Dagger," she said scathingly. "We've known for a long time that Brill was running things even though all three of us are Moderators. I hacked into his email yesterday— "

"You what?!"

"— and found letters from the Admin," Ruka finished, ignoring his outburst. "The older ones were threats to have all three of us deleted. Brill replied to these and the drafts were saved to his inbox." She leaned forward, amber eyes serious. "Dagger, he _threatened_ the Admin. Apparently they know each other. Brill kept referring to some 'event' that he would bring to light if the Admin didn't let him do what he wished. He never said exactly what it was but the Admin backed off so it must be something big."

Dagger rubbed his temples. "What exactly are you telling me? That you want to stop Brill? You know I won't do that."

Ruka's lips thinned. "I'm telling you that _he's_ going to have _us_ removed if we're not careful. Ever since he got this position he's been power hungry. You said yourself that he rarely leaves his house. He's becoming obsessed!" She sniffed. "It's not healthy at any rate. If you were really his friend you'd realize that."

Dagger grimaced and looked away, indecisive. Ruka snorted and straightened, backing away from him.

"You know, I don't need your help," she continued, her voice hard. "I can do this by myself. I'm tired of being at his beck and call. He even forced me to hack into that Kite character's personal files." She shook her head in disgust. "I won't do it anymore." She paused. "And if you're waiting for Brill to come to his senses, you're wasting your time. He likes it here too much. He likes the attention, and the power."

She stepped away, turning her back to him, long red hair curling in the wind. Her last words drifted to him.

"Oh. Did you know? He's revoked our deletion ability."

He wheeled around, surprised, but caught only the golden rings as they fell around her, teleporting her away. Instead, he was left standing there, mouth open, wondering if events were passing him by.

"Brill," he muttered, "What are you doing?"

* * *

"So, this is how you want to do it?"

Standing on the bridge of Mac Anu, staring down into the sunset-colored water, Kite nodded solemnly, watching his reflection do the same. Next to him, Orca smiled slightly in that world-wise way of his.

"Alright then," he agreed, leaning his elbows against the railing. "I'm with you. I'll let the others know as well." He paused, thoughts turning calmly in his gaze. "Do you really think it will work? Something so simple…"

Kite smiled mildly. "The simplest way is often the best." He took a breath. "And I'm ready. There are others who need me more."

The painted Blademaster nodded in understanding but said nothing, letting the silence roll around them in the twilight city, the water rushing past them both, uncaring if anyone saw them there.

The time for hiding was over.

Only after a warm ten minutes had passed did Orca straighten, his expression almost reminiscent.

"I will miss it though."

Kite closed his eyes.

"Me, too."

To be continued…


	13. A Last Straw

Author's Notes: Well, getting down to the wire now. The first of three chapters that will wrap up the ending to this little project of mine. You've come this far and I thank you for it. Please enjoy.

For Kristen.

Wonderland of My Own Making  
Chapter Thirteen

Balmung stood on top of the roofs of Carmina Gadelica with a poised grace, his wings outstretched for balance as he gave a king's gaze to the cobblestone streets below. Arms crossed over his armored chest, one might have said he looked impatient, or even angry. The Azure Sky was neither. In fact, he had never felt calmer in his life. If the crowds of Users milling about beneath him had known what he was doing there they would have been frightened, nervous. Balmung remained unmoved.

Because he knew the plan had failed.

He had been waiting for almost half an hour with no sign of Brill anywhere. It had been Kite's hope that the Moderator would have been drawn out by his old enemy's presence, intent on finishing their never-ending duel. Unfortunately, it looked as if Brill wanted to remain hidden for a little while longer.

They had not seen or heard anything about him since the incident with BlackRose, an event Balmung still had trouble wrapping his mind around. In fact, the other two Moderators had been rather silent as well, an omen that did not sit well for one of Fianna's Descendants. It looked as if they were regrouping for some sort of final attack, the last silence before the storm.

Kite had been right. It was definitely time to end this.

A chime in his ear announced a FlashMail and Balmung unfolded his arms as his User opened it.

To: Balmung  
**From: **Orca

Any luck? We've got nothing here. Bith hasn't shown up so we've got nothing to go on. Sasuke and Sanjuro are checking the other Root Towns but they haven't reported in yet. I think Kite's getting a little anxious as well.

Balmung frowned, wondering what was on the Twin Blade's mind before pushing the thought aside and writing back.

To: Orca  
**From: **Balmung

Still no sign. I don't think he's coming. I'll wait a bit more though, just to be sure. Tell Kite to sit tight.

Smirking to himself, he refocused on the city below him and blinked, leaning forward slightly as his eyes caught a flash of pink and red. There, running from the Chaos Gate, the third Moderator, Ruka. More startling than her sudden appearance was the fact that she was moving at a dead run, her long slender wand held rigidly by her side as she wove in and out between players, a look of grim dread on her face.

Balmung had not had any dealings with the female Moderator. She had always kept a very low profile, evidence of her hacker status and a result of the fact that her power was best wielded outside of the game. She had never deleted any characters, although he knew she was responsible for leaking Kite's information to Brill, but had heard Users speak well of her and that was something that made an impression on him. Not that he would go easy on her. She was a hacker, after all, but he might give her a chance to explain before deciding on a course of action.

However, he was not to get that chance. Only seconds after Ruka appeared, Brill also exited the Chaos Gate, wearing a thundercloud expression as he took off after her, pushing people carelessly aside in order to gain speed.

Balmung, unsure if he wanted to get involve in a spat between Moderators, watched tensely as Brill chased Ruka, the slim Wave Master somehow managing to keep ahead of him. She was headed for a dead end though and she knew it, swinging around to face the irate Long Arm with wand raised.

Brill stopped, leaving space between them as he glared icily at her, chest heaving.

"I can log out right now," she threatened angrily, but Balmung heard an undertone of fear in her voice. Around them, Users were making themselves scarce, realizing the situation was one they didn't want to be involved in.

"Do it and you'll never be able to log back in," Brill shot back, his voice like icicles. He was watching Ruka like a wolf might watch a rabbit. The Wave Master tightened her grip on her wand but did nothing and Brill smiled coldly. "What are you waiting for, Ruka? Go ahead, leave. I won't be able to stop you."

She snarled silently at him and he laughed, the sound like glass cracking.

"Is _he_ what's keeping you here?" Brill shook his head. "Just like a woman. Foolish, sentimental, _annoying_." The last word was a veiled threat. "He's weak, Ruka. He won't stand up to me and, despite your efforts, you can't either. I may not be a hacker but even I can read the logs. Trying to contact the Admin, eh, Ruka?" The Wave Master's copper eyes widened. Brill smirked. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? I practically _own _this place."

Ruka found her voice. "This is a _game_, Brill! Quit being such an ego-infested maniac! This place is meant for everyone, not just you! You can't go around doing whatever you want!"

"You and I both know this is more than a game. It's a living, breathing entity. Things happen here that can happen nowhere else and I will _not_ let you take it away from me." Brill raised his ebony spear. "Come on, Ruka. Try and hurt me. I can see you want to."

"You know I can't," she spat, "You made sure we couldn't erase you."

He gave her a mock bow. "Indeed. So I suppose you're going to go quietly then? There are things you could still do for me."

Ruka slammed the end of her wand into the stones at her feet. "Never, you pig." A golden rune circle burst into existence underneath Brill. "Yarthkins Pha!"

Earth erupted, crumbling and cracking as it rose and smashed against Brill, the whole city shaking as the resulting earthquake shivered through the ground. Balmung launched himself from the rooftop to get a better view, his wings working overtime in order to keep him stationary in the air. Below him, the dust was clearing and Ruka was lifting her wand, preparing another attack.

Hidden in the clouds of dust, a spear flashed and she cried out as the blow sent her flying forward to crash against the wall of a nearby building, her body slumping to the street as her health points dropped dramatically.

Straightening from his crouch, Brill stepped out of the smoke, his face emotionless, uncaring. Balmung felt his insides twist uncomfortably. He was having a slight dilemma about what to do. To help Ruka would be to help a hacker, or more, to help a Moderator, one of the very ones the rebels were fighting against. His other choice was to sit back and let Brill destroy her, letting him do their job for them. Or would he even delete her? Hadn't he mentioned that he had something he wanted Ruka to do?

Balmung gritted his teeth and brought up a new FlashMail.

Brill advanced on Ruka, his steps slow and measured as if he knew that each one pushed Ruka closer and closer to a digital death. She watched him, still dazed from the attack, her wand out of reach.

"Even now you still have a choice," Brill said, "Come with me and forget this nonsense," he leveled his spear at her, "or be erased."

Ruka smiled at him. "Go to hell."

Brill's lance swung, whistling through the air, and Balmung darted forward, decision made.

Ironically enough, he wasn't needed.

A blur of blue and yellow darted between the Long Arm and the Wave Master, and Brill's spear crashed into the stone street, leaving a small, empty crater. Yards away, Dagger knelt and set the injured Ruka down safely, one arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry I'm late," he told her. She half-glared, half-grinned at him.

"You always are."

His expression turned serious. "Are you alright?"

"Nothing a good Drink can't fix."

He nodded and straightened, turning his head to Brill but speaking to her. "Then wait for me. I'll be a moment." Twin daggers appeared in his hands and he raised his voice to the other Moderator. "What's going on here, Brill? Why are you attacking Ruka?"

Brill hefted his spear, pulling it from the ruined cobblestones. "I thought it was obvious, Dagger. She betrayed me, and now she'll suffer the consequences."

Dagger's knives made an x-shape in front of his face. "Stop right there, Brill. There's no need to do this. Take away her Moderator status if you must, but there's no reason to delete anyone." His face relaxed, his voice pleaded. "Look, I know you're not like this. This place has changed you. Come on, let's log out, get something to eat— "

Brill's spear landed square against Dagger's blades.

"Things are not that simple anymore, _Dagger._" Black eyes met sky blue. "Prepare yourself."

* * *

"What's going on?" Kite asked, watching worry etch itself across Orca's face. The Blademaster glanced at him, his thoughts obviously elsewhere.

"It's Balmung. He wants us to come to Carmina Gadelica. I think there's trouble." Balmung's partner shook his head. "That guy… I hope he doesn't do anything rash."

Kite frowned. "We still haven't heard from Bith, or Sasuke and Sanjuro, either. Without Bith this might be— "

"I know," Orca interrupted, "It's definitely going to be harder without his help, but if Balmung says to come, then we go. We don't have time to wait for the others."

Kite's eyebrows rose slightly at the Blademaster's tone, and then he smiled as he realized he would have reacted the same had it been his own partner calling him.

"Alright then, let's go." Kite rubbed his right wrist unconsciously. "And let's hope we aren't too late."

To be continued…


	14. A Parting of Ways

Wonderland of My Own Making

Chapter Fourteen

"Prepare yourself," Brill snarled at Dagger, his spear pushing against his friend's crossed blades. Next to the two struggling combatants, Balmung dropped from the sky, a great rush of wind battering them as he back-winged to land in a crouch. Pearl feathers flew as he straightened, starlight glinting off his armor, his own weapon extended.

"I knew it wouldn't be long before you started trying to delete your own friends," the Descendant said flatly, watching as Brill's onyx eyes turned their ice cold gaze to him. "What's the matter, Brill? Have you run out of rebels to kill?"

Brill withdrew the curved end of his spear, apparently ending his silent battle with Dagger in order to turn his attention to his old rival. Dagger dropped his arms, knives falling to his sides along with his only defense, his face reflecting his relief that he would not have to fight his friend.

Balmung had only a second to notice the victorious smirk on Brill's face before the Moderator pivoted and delivered a diagonal slash across the unprotected Twin Blade's chest, his face reflecting nothing as his friend's eyes went wide with surprise, his limp body falling backwards and caught only partially by Ruka's outstretched arms.

"Dagger," she cried, cradling him as best she could in her weakened state. With a detached part of his mind, Balmung noticed Brill had not PK'd his friend, but had left him with health points registering only in the single digits. Whether such an action was evidence of a remaining bond or exceptional cruelness, Balmung couldn't say.

Dagger's sky blue eyes fixated on Brill's. "You… really have changed."

Balmung didn't wait. He attacked instantly, unsurprised when Brill turned again to meet him, seemingly anticipating his action. The sound of steel clashing echoed through the narrow streets of Carmina Gadelica, almost covering up the sound of something like a massive door closing. Balmung heard it but only vaguely, his mind otherwise occupied in keeping Brill's wickedly curved spear from his body.

Brill had exceptional strength, every single blow landing full force and as relentless as an avalanche. Balmung met his attack every time, his quick reflexes the only thing saving him from being hurt. It was obvious the Long Arm had maxed out all of his stats, the Moderator editing his character to a level that was beyond the scope of a normal player. The Azure Sky gritted his teeth. Such a person should never have been made a Moderator.

"I'm going to get rid of you this time," Brill growled, spear spinning in a dangerous arc that Balmung was forced to sidestep. "You've picked your last fight with me."

Balmung lunged forward, his blade going in under Brill's defense, slicing off hundreds of life points from the Moderator's staggering total before moving to the side in anticipation of a retaliating attack that never came. Instead, Brill bent over at the waist from the Blademaster's stroke, looking slightly nauseous.

"Damn it," he cursed, and before everyone's eyes, his character flickered, the colors of his outfit inverting so that he flashed white momentarily. Balmung stepped back with a frown, confused. Brill's voice was hoarse as he continued, "That woman… I'll kill her for this."

"Woman?" Balmung's silver eyebrows lifted as he understood. "You mean BlackRose." Brill flickered again. "Her attack did something to you, didn't it."

The Moderator didn't answer. Instead, his gaze slipped over Balmung's shoulder and a sneer marred his face.

"Why, hello there. Come to kill me, _Kite_?"

* * *

Akira was awakened by sunlight shining into her eyes, the rays slanting over the bed and warming her as well as blinding her. Rubbing a hand over her face, she sat up slowly, still inhabiting that daze between sleep and dreams, her body twinging a bit as she straightened. The subtle pain was enough to wake her completely, one idly rubbing her stomach as she realized she was still a little sore.

Glancing over Kenji's side of the bed, her eyes went to the alarm clock and she realized she had slept quite a bit. Kenji would have already gone to work, something she was sure he hadn't wanted to do considering the night they had had. Akira wrinkled her nose. Good thing she was officially free from work until well after the baby was born.

Slipping out of bed with a sigh, she padded across the carpet and towards the kitchen, feeling suddenly thirsty. Imagine her surprise to find a neat stack of pancakes awaiting her, as pristine as if they were a picture in a recipe magazine. She blinked and reached out to touch them, a shocked expression crossing her face.

They were still warm.

Confused and wondering if she was still half asleep, Akira's brows knitted together as she turned and headed to the front part of the house, her steps taking her to her husband's study.

Imagine again her surprise at finding him there, a set of neuro-goggles on his head.

* * *

Kite met Brill's gaze with the honest determination he was known for. "If there is no other way," he confirmed quietly, as Orca moved up beside him. Footsteps behind him told him Sanjuro and Sasuke had arrived, having received his message only seconds ago. Kite settled at their presence. Everyone was there. He could begin.

Unbeknownst to him, the sound of a door closing echoed through the city for a second time.

Kite raised his right arm, palm out, his left arm coming up to support his wrist.

In front of him, Balmung's blue eyes widened, incredulous. "It can't be."

Brill's voice was soft. "The Bracelet."

"I didn't want to do it this way, but you have left me no more choices." Kite's gaze shifted to the Blademaster. "Get out of the way, Balmung."

The winged Descendant of Fianna was astounded. He looked to his partner, finding it odd that Orca seemed to think this strange turn of events perfectly natural. The blue painted warrior nodded once. Balmung stepped aside.

Kite then glanced to where Dagger lay, still supported by Ruka. The Twin Blade returned his glance silently, almost hopefully. He would not say anything.

Brill wore a hard smile. "I don't believe you will use that thing against me. From what I hear, you were reluctant to wear it even in the beginning and even more so to activate its power." He took a step forward. "I can take the burden away from you. Hand it over and you'll be able to play The World as a normal player, no longer hunted."

As if he hadn't heard him, Kite spoke solemnly. "You have never seen this work, so I don't expect you to know what will happen. Years ago, I saw a similar Data Drain put a person into a coma." Brill's smile slipped. "Their character was destroyed before my eyes." Beside Kite, Orca shifted on his feet. "If you think I can't hurt you with this, I'd advise you to reconsider."

Minutes passed and Brill did not speak. Kite continued.

"You do have a choice. Leave now. Log out and never return to The World. Your presence here is no longer necessary." Kite's quick look to Dagger and Ruka made his point clear. "If you don't, you'll be taking your chances with the Bracelet." He took a breath. "Choose."

There was one pure moment when Kite was sure Brill would surrender and he felt immense relief start to well up in him. Then the Moderator laughed, a hair-raising sound that made his arm tremble.

"You don't have it in you, Kite." Brill dropped his spear, inviting him. "Go ahead then. Do it. You won't be rid of me until you do."

Kite swallowed his failure, but in the real world, Kenji felt his wife's body press against his back, her arm sliding over him until her hand rested with his on the controller.

"Together," she whispered.

Praying for a miracle, Kite stiffened and closed his eyes, his voice hoarse.

"Data Drain," he said, even as another voice commanded, "Data Purge."

The screen went black.

In the next second, The World was back, and so was Bith.

He was standing in between Kite and Brill, his dark gaze locked with the Moderator's, and he was dressed oddly, not like a Wave Master at all. He wasn't even carrying a weapon, that Kite could see, and a pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. It was almost as if…

Bith pushed his lenses up with a finger. Brill snorted.

"So this is where you've been hiding," he said, and for the first time Kite noticed the Long Arm was fading, his colors flickering. From the bottom up he was disappearing. "I wondered how long it would take you to retaliate."

Bith smiled crookedly. "I should have done it sooner, but I've never been one for direct confrontations, as you well know."

"So you hid with _them_." Brill's disgusted gaze took in the rebels. "Very clever. I never saw you."

Helba's apprentice nodded. "I made sure of it."

Kite was frowning. "Wait. Bith, are you saying…?"

The hacker turned slightly to regard him out of the corner of his eye. "Yes. I am the System Administrator."

"What?!" Balmung exclaimed, looking almost angry. "How is that possible?" He struggled for words. "You've been with us all this time. If you had really wanted to get rid of Brill you could have just— "

"He was being blackmailed." This from Ruka who was helping Dagger to his feet. "I saw the proof myself. Brill threatened to reveal Bith's secret to the Users if he tried to delete him. Bith had no choice but to let him do as he wished until he found some other way to stop Brill."

"And this other way was to pretend to be Bith, Helba's companion?" Orca asked, his face like a rock. He looked ready to run the man through at a moment's notice.

"I _am_ Bith," Bith answered, somewhat impatiently, "I'm a hacker as well as the System Administrator of The World." When no one said anything he sighed. "What do you think CC Corp. would think if they found out I was one of the hackers that caused them so much trouble? I'm not as discreet as Helba, nor as noble. I've done things with my skills that, if known, could possibly land me in prison." His voice strengthened. "But I've also used those same powers to protect people I care about, including the Users of this world (1). I became System Admin because I wanted to continue doing that, even if it meant breaking the rules." Balmung grimaced. "But Brill threatened to expose me to my superiors and so I had to hide myself for a time."

"Coward," Brill muttered. The lower half of his body had been erased.

Bith shrugged. "I never said I was a hero." He took a breath. "But I did need one." He glanced at Kite. "Sorry for using you, Kite, but I wanted to see if there was a way to make him give up voluntarily." His voice softened. "After all, he is my friend."

Kite exhaled. "I understand."

Bith cleared his throat. "Brill, I relieve you of your Moderator status and all the inherent privileges that go with this position. Furthermore, your character 'Brill' will be deleted. It has become corrupted and must be purged." The System Admin bowed. "Thank you for your service."

And just like that, Brill was gone.

The thread of tension snapped and Kite hunched forward, suddenly exhausted. Similar reactions spread through the other rebels until Sasuke's young voice broke the silence.

"Bith, sir," he said tentatively, glancing at Sanjuro before continuing, "Is…is it over?"

The newly revealed System Administrator nodded wryly. "Yes, it's over."

The Heavy Blade frowned. "But, doesn't this mean that you'll have to give up your position? Your secret is out now."

"Actually, as you might have noticed, I shut down this server 'for repairs', allowing only your groups to enter. After you were all here, I locked it so that no one could come or go, regardless of who they were. This area is protected and everything that happened within it is confidential." Bith adjusted his glasses. "No one knows except those who are here." He turned to take in Balmung, Dagger, and Ruka. "The question now is, can you accept an Admin who is also a hacker?"

Balmung looked like he was struggling with himself, but Dagger and Ruka only had to glance at each other before nodding.

"We liked how The World was before…" Dagger couldn't say the name. "We'd be honored if you would allow us to put things right again."

Bith actually smiled. "Of course." The black gaze turned to Balmung who managed a stiff nod with a look that said _I'll be watching you._

"Well, I guess that's settled," Orca commented mildly, sparing a glance to his disgruntled partner. Across from him, Sanjuro spoke in his gravelly voice, one hand resting on the hilt of his katana.

"That's the only thing that is," he said, somehow managing to look serious and amused at the same time. He directed his next question at Bith. "What I want to know is what you meant about Brill's character being corrupted."

The Admin looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure how it happened, although I do think it's somehow related to his encounter with BlackRose." Kenji felt Akira jump, startled. "His files were… Well, they were corroding. The code was all mixed up. It's my belief his system would have crashed given enough time." He offered them that mysterious half-smile of his that always put Kite on edge. "I guess I spared him that. At least this way, when he's ready, he can come back to The World as a normal player. Maybe then he'll find what he's looking for."

"Kite," Balmung said suddenly, directing all attention to him effortlessly. "About the Bracelet…" There was an odd expression on his face. "May I ask why you didn't tell me you had found it? It seems Orca knew…"

Kite smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Actually…" He shook his wrist and gave the Blademaster an apologetic look.

Balmung's eyebrow twitched. "You… were bluffing?"

Orca laughed, immediately lightening the mood. "What? Was even the great Balmung fooled?"

His partner simply crossed his arms over his armored chest. "I'm curious to know how you were planning to Data Drain Brill without the Bracelet."

"I didn't have a plan," Kite answered, scratching the back of his neck. "My hope was that we could just convince him to leave on his own, like Bith said. If that didn't work I would threaten him with the Bracelet." He shook his head. "I honestly didn't think he would risk being Data Drained, but the reality of it was that this situation was something we had to take care of on our own." _Without Aura_. He caught Bith's eyes. "Bith put Brill in a position of power and it was he who had to take it away."

Sanjuro spoke quietly. "The World was teaching us a lesson."

"We had to help ourselves," Sasuke finished, earning himself a proud grin from his mentor. The boy smiled. "But what do we do now? I'm not sure I know what to do with myself…now that everything is finished."

"Play the game," Kite suggested gently. "After all, you earned it."

Bith smiled and clasped his hands together.

"Server Restart."

* * *

Takamoto Kenji leaned back in his chair, tilted his head back and kissed his wife. As she threaded her hands through his hair, he smiled.

"Are there any pancakes left?"

To be concluded…

(1) Refer to the fourth Liminality episode, "Trismegistus".

On to the Epilogue!


	15. A New Adventure, Epilogue

Wonderland of My Own Making

Chapter Fifteen

2 months later…

Sanjuro stood back from the battle, idly chewing on a blade of grass as he watched his apprentice fight with two Hands of God simultaneously. The kid was getting good, no doubt about it. He was getting a bit cocky too, with his rakish grin and golden hair. Sanjuro smiled wryly, reminded suddenly of his own personality as a teenager. The boy was going to be something, that was for sure.

"Hey, wrap it up, kiddo," he called gruffly, "Orca should be contacting Balmung any second. We're going to be late."

With one last vertical slice, the last monster disintegrated and Sasuke straightened, grinning proudly even as he rubbed the back of his arm across his forehead tiredly. "Take it easy, old man. I'm coming."

Sanjuro felt his right eyebrow twitch. _Old man?_ "Rein it in, rookie. You've still got a long way to go before you'll be able to beat me."

Sasuke nodded good naturedly. "Good thing we have all the time in The World then."

The old samurai smiled. "Yeah, good thing."

* * *

Yasuhiko paced back and forth across the waiting room of the American hospital, a little uncomfortable but more nervous than anything else. It felt like it had been hours, it _had_ been hours, since Akira had been wheeled into a private room, Kenji holding onto her hand as if _he_ were the one needing comfort. Yasuhiko shook his head. All he needed now was Kenji to pass out at some point and he would have all the ammunition he'd need to make fun of his best friend for the rest of his life.

Despite his concerns that Kenji was going to wimp out, Yasu was a little more worried that no one had come to tell him how everything was going. Did it always take this long? He had been pacing for a good fours hours already.

"You're wearing a rut in the floor," Kurosaki Kazu commented idly, hands in his pockets as he slouched in one of the waiting room's plastic chairs. He smiled wryly when Yasuhiko threw him a disgusted look.

Akira's brother had been the first of her family to arrive, disapproving Yasuhiko of the notion that the two siblings weren't that close anymore. Kazu had been the one to hold everything together, bundling his sister into the car that morning after her water broke, as Kenji and himself had run around wildly, wondering if they had packed everything. Her parents were still on a plane and weren't due to land until late that evening, Yasuhiko having volunteered to pick them up from the airport. He was also on unofficial 'entertainment' duty when they arrived to allow Akira some space. Apparently her parents were… quite a presence.

Settling himself down into a chair next to Kazu, Yasuhiko pulled out his PDA, passing time as he checked his email. Kazu eyed him curiously.

"You still going to email your partner when we know something?"

Yasu nodded. "Yeah, I promised I'd keep him in the loop. He's in The World right now and is going to notify the others when everything's alright." He grinned. "This way, I guess it's like their all here with us. Ken and Akira are not the only ones who have been waiting for this baby."

Kazu nodded silently and Yasuhiko spotted a familiar figure emerging through the bay doors over his shoulder. Noticing the direction of his glance, Kazu turned to look and then rose to his feet as Kenji approached them still in scrubs, a dazed but happy look on his face. Yasuhiko felt all his anxiety disappear as Kenji smiled contentedly for them.

"Would you like to see him?"

Kazu cheered.

* * *

Akira smiled drowsily as Kazu and Yasuhiko cooed over the baby, reduced to monosyllabic sentences and grinning as much as if they had delivered him themselves, both of them declaring _he_ would be the favorite uncle. She let them go, mildly amused by their antics and knowing it was a symptom of their relief that her labor had gone well. Of course, they hadn't been there for the choked screams and general tirades against all mankind, and Akira looked over at her husband, wondering if he were just as exhausted as she was.

He was sitting next to her on her bed, leaning back slightly so he could be near her, his gaze resting on the small, wrapped bundle held securely in Yasuhiko's arms. He had been wonderful during her delivery, hardly grimacing as she squeezed his hand through every contraction. When the baby had come, he had been the first to hold him, a wide-eyed incredulous look on his face as he son cried in his arms. He had turned to her, such a look of adoration on his face that she had almost burst into tears, and had whispered softly just for her ears alone.

"I'm a father."

He seemed much calmer now, holding her hand gently but firmly, the quiet strength she had always loved spilling out from him and into her. It was so comforting she felt herself getting drowsy, a warm happiness settling over her like a blanket. Her grip must have slackened on Kenji's hand because he drew his gaze away from the proud uncles and looked down at her, squeezing her fingers.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly. She smiled for him.

"I'm just tired," she reassured him, turning her face into the arm of his sleeve. Across the room, Yasuhiko cleared his throat.

"Kazu and I will let you get some rest, Akira," he said diplomatically as he passed Kenji's son back to his father. He winked at his best friend's wife. "You did a good job there, missy." He nudged Kenji with an elbow. "I'd tell Ken the same thing but we all know you did most of the work."

"He's cute, Sis," Kazu commented before leaning down to kiss his Akira's cheek. "I'll leave a message for Mom and Dad and tell them everything went okay." He and Yasu moved towards the door, waving goodbye, and Kenji turned to lay his son in the cradle of Akira's arms, watching a glowing smile cross her face.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" she said, her words not really a question. Kenji reached out to hook his pinky under his son's very tiny fingers, feeling the soft, compulsive grip.

"Yes, he is." Kenji moved closer to his wife, stretching out next to her as she laid her head against his. "Thank you."

She lifted her head slightly, gazing at him. "I love you," she whispered. He kissed her.

"I love you, too," he answered when they broke apart.

A half an hour later, when Akira had finally fallen asleep, Kenji held his son in his lap as he picked up the phone in their room, swallowing a few times before he could actually speak.

"Mom? It's me." His son cooed and Kenji felt a laugh break free, quiet and joyful. "Say hello to your grandson."

* * *

To: Balmung  
**From: **Orca

Everything went perfectly, my friend. And if the boy is anything like Akira, Kenji's going to have his hands full. Looks like they're both starting a whole new adventure, eh? They wanted me to tell everyone that they're doing fine and that they'll email everyone when they get a chance. Until then…

His name is Keiki.

THE END.

* * *

Final Author's Notes-

A heartfelt 'thank you' to Renfro Calhoun and Jonathan Priest without whose support this story might not have turned out as it did. I'd also like to thank everyone who reviewed on a regular basis, your suggestions, comments and questions have definitely kept me on my toes.

As to the story, some of you might feel I didn't make a big enough deal about Brill's demise, but honestly, his 'death' was the way I pictured it from the very beginning. I never intended to involve Aura or the Bracelet. Instead, I wanted Kite and BlackRose to face a different sort of challenge, one that required their own particular strengths and weaknesses without relying on legendary bracelets.

The idea of Bith as a System Admin was one I genuinely liked. I think his hacker skills would make him an awesome Admin, although his fear of losing his position would certainly make him careful in how he used them.

I hope it was clear that the main plot of this story was a lesson about relationships: Kenji and Akira, Brill and Balmung, BlackRose and Sasuke, Bith and Brill, even Dagger and Ruka. Bith made Brill a Moderator out of friendship, which eventually lead to the uncovering of Bith's identity and Brill's deletion. Dagger felt he couldn't stand up to Brill because they were friends, and Ruka felt she couldn't leave Dagger alone in The World because of what she felt for him. The product of all these friendships was the story itself, and an end where Kenji had to choose between two relationships of his own, to be a hero, or to be a father.

All in all, I'm happy with the way everything turned out and I hope I didn't disappoint anyone. If you have any remaining questions, please feel free to email me. Otherwise, thanks for sticking with me!

Sincerely,  
Goldberry

PS. In case you're interested, the name "Keiki" can have many meanings depending on which kanji you use. In this story, the name means "happy child".


End file.
